Beyond Appearances
by katybaggins
Summary: Everyone's heard the phrase "Don't judge a book by it's cover", and so has Rapunzel. In this version of the movie, Rapunzel will learn the meaning of that phrase first-hand.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

**Hello! Long-time lurker here! I've read numerous stories on the site but this is the first piece of writing that I've ever uploaded and published myself. I hope you enjoy it! My plan is to write _Tangled_ from Rapunzel's point of view, with the theme of seeing beyond people's appearances (hence the title)**

**Thanks for reading! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled, Rapunzel, or anything in the movie, including the dialogue**

"Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden..."

-Unknown

**Prologue**

It all started one ordinary and normal day. Well, as normal and ordinary as a day can be when you have seventy feet of hair, your best and only friend is a chameleon, and you've lived in a tower for eighteen years without any contact with the world outside. But if there's one thing I've learned in my life it's that there is no definite standard for normal. What seems normal to one person might be strange to someone else.

You know that time-old phrase, "don't judge a book by its cover"? Well, it's true and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I myself have learned the meaning of that saying in my own life. Throughout my life, I learned that people are not always what they seem to be, including myself. And in my case, it is a good thing that people were not as they seemed. Things could have turned out so much worse than they did and, for a few moments there, things turned out badly enough.

But as I was saying, there is no complete and definite standard for normal. So it is important to see beyond what people appear to be. They might seem normal at face value, but are they really? For instance, someone might seem to be an unrepentant thief, but underneath it all, they might have a warm and loving heart. Only when you try to see beyond the surface can you find what is really in a person's heart. And seeing beyond appearances is really what my story is all about. My story. Me. Rapunzel.

You are no doubt familiar with my name, because I have been the subject of numerous stories told by numerous authors in numerous different ways. But their accounts cannot be considered complete because they did not _live _the story, as I have. So I've decided it's time for me to tell my own story myself, so that the lessons that I learned can be passed on to others.

This is my story.


	2. The Request

A/N: worked very hard on this for several hours! I hope you enjoy it!

Merry Christmas!

Disclaimer-I do not own Tangled, Rapunzel, Pascal, or the dialogue

_**Chapter One- The Request**_

"It is when our budding hopes are nipped beyond recovery by some rough wind, that we are the most disposed to picture to ourselves what flowers they might have borne, if they had flourished."

-Charles Dickens, _Dombey and Son_

_ Like I said, my story began one ordinary day: I did all the things that I normally did when I was alone in my tower, with one exception- I was finally going to ask Mother to take me to see the floating lights…_

XXXXXXXXX

"Today is a very big day," I said to my one and only friend, a chameleon named Pascal. "I'm finally going to do it! I'm going to ask Mother to take me to see the floating lights."_ I'm almost 18, _I thought to myself. _Surely Mother will think I'm old enough to leave the tower for a few days, and she would be right there with me_.

The floating lights were actually a bit of an obsession of mine, for as long as I could remember. The first time I saw them was my 7th or 8th birthday. I remember that Mother had been especially tired that night and fell asleep soon after she had put me to bed. But I was too excited about my birthday to sleep. After much tossing and turning, I left my bed and tip-toed downstairs, thinking maybe if I found something to drink I would be able to sleep. Instead, though, I went over to the half-opened window, fascinated by the stars. And that was when I saw them-those beautiful shining beacons of light that to my 7-8 year old mind were there exclusively to wish me a happy birthday. Ecstatic, I crawled back in my bed, thinking that the lights were the best present of all.

After that, I was completely captivated by the lights that appeared every night on my birthday. I was drawn to them, feeling as though they were calling out to me. They seemed to know some deep secret about me that I didn't know myself, and I could only discover the secret if I went to see them myself. On my birthday.

"Rapunzel!"

My mother's voice startled me out of my reverie.

"Let down your hair!" she called.

"Oh it's time!" I said excitedly to Pascal, who gave to me what appeared to be both a smile and a warning look simultaneously.

"I know, I know", I laughed, "Don't let her see you!" I quickly hid him behind my latest painting (the floating lights and I, of course, watching them), knowing that my mother would soon call me again. I love my mother dearly, but patience is not one of her best character traits.

"Rapunzel! I'm not getting any younger down here!"

See what I mean?

"Coming, Mother", I called back and walked quickly over to my tower's "door" (actually more like a window), and threw down my seventy feet of hair over the hook built for this very purpose. My long blonde hair was like a rope that Mother would take hold of and I would pull her up. I know what you're thinking- Ugh, how could you stand to do that all the time? But trust me, when you are cramped up in a tower, sometimes it's nice to do something physical.

So, as I was saying, I pulled Mother up by my hair. Once she was inside and I was finished, I was slightly winded.

"Hello, Mother!" I greeted her, "Welcome home!"

"Oh, Rapunzel," she said as she gave me a pat on my shoulder. "How you manage to do that every single day without fail! It looks absolutely_ exhausting_, darling!"

I sighed. It _was_ tiring, but I wasn't going to say so. "Oh, it's nothing," I said instead.

Mother tapped my nose, like a pet. "Then I don't why it takes so long!"

_What? _My surprise must have shown on my face, because Mother laughed.

"Oh darling, I'm just teasing!" she chuckled.

"Um…all right," I managed to say, still a bit surprised. I watched Mother for a few minutes as she began her daily facial examination in front of her full-length mirror. Yes, I do suppose that Mother, in addition to being impatient, _is_ a little vain. But she's my mother, the only mother I have, and I love her.

"So, Mother," I said brightly, mustering up all of my courage. "As you know, tomorrow is a very big day….."

"Rapunzel," Mother interrupted and brought me to face the mirror. "You know what I see? I see a smart, strong, and _beautiful_ young lady."

I felt a smile creep unto my face. Mother wasn't overgenerous with compliments.

"Oh, look, you're here too!" she joked.

My smile froze on my face. _Is that supposed to be funny?_ Mother obviously must have noticed my expression.

"I'm just teasing!" she said impatiently. "Stop taking everything so seriously, Rapunzel!" She immediately resumed her face-poking and prodding.

I cracked a smile, even though I still didn't think it was funny. "Um…all right," I said weakly. _Don't give up on your dream…ask her!_

"So, Mother," I began again, hoping she might get the hint this time. "Tomorrow…"

She didn't get my hint. "Rapunzel," she said, "Mother's feeling a bit worn down. Can you sing for me?"

_Sing for me_…that was her code phrase for my using my magic hair to make her young again.

"Oh, of course, Mother!" I replied. I quickly brought her chair, stool and brush. I sat her in her chair and pushed some of my hair into her hands_. The faster I sing, the sooner I can ask her about the lights._

"Flowergleamandglow,letyourpowershine, maketheclockreverse", I sang.

"Rapunzel, wait," pleaded Mother.

Ignoring her request, I continued to sing. Fast.

"bringbackwhatoncewasmine,healwhathasbeenhurt,changethefatesdesign"

"Rapunzel!"

"savewhathasbeenlost,bringbackwhatoncewasmine,whatoncewasmine," I finished, breathless.

"Rapunzel!" Mother did not look pleased. However, she did look younger. "What was that all about?"

"So, Mother," I responded, kneeling beside her chair. "As I was saying, tomorrow is a really big day, and you didn't really respond. So I'm just going to tell you! It's my birthday!"

I was met with a completely blank stare. "Tada!" I threw out my arms happily.

She recovered her composure, but she still seemed to have no idea what I was talking about.

"No", she finally responded. "That can't be. I distinctly remember. Your birthday was_ last_ year."

"That's the funny thing about birthdays," I quipped. "They're kind of an annual thing." When she failed to laugh, I continued, becoming increasingly nervous. I even began to fiddle with my hair, which is what I always do when I'm anxious about something.

"Mother, I'm turning 18 this year," I said seriously, "and what I really what for this birthday…actually what I've wanted for quite a few birthdays…" My voice faded and I started to mumble.

"Rapunzel," Mother admonished, "Please stop with the mumbling. You know how I feel about the mumbling. Blah blah blah blah…it's very annoying." My face fell. This was _not_ going well.

Mother noticed, and softened her voice. "I'm just teasing! I love you so much, darling!"

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pascal creeping out from behind my painting._ Ask her!_

"I want to see the floating lights!" I blurted.

I watched as Mother walked over to the stove.

"Oh. The what?" she asked calmly.

"Well, I was hoping that you would take me to _see_ the floating lights," I asked as I walked over to my painting and pulled the curtain so that Mother could see it.

She glanced at it for half a second before she answered me. "Oh. You mean the _stars_," she said pointedly.  
Finally warming up to my request, I answered her quickly. "No, no, no! I've _charted_ stars from the tower, and they're _always_ constant! But these? These appear every year on my birthday and only on my birthday!" I glanced hopefully at my painting, remembering all the emotions that I felt when I saw them. "Mother," I continued, "I can't help but feel that they're meant for _me_. I need to see them, and not just from my window. In person. I have to know what they are!"

Mother had been listening to my explanation with a raised eyebrow. "You want to go outside? Please, Rapunzel. You're too frail and fragile to go outside. Who knows what could happen to you out there? Do you know why we stay up in this tower?"

I quickly answered her, "yes, to keep me safe. But surely…" _I'm not giving up!_

Mother interrupted me again. "Rapunzel, I know what is best for you, and it is not to go see these_ stars_. There are countless things that could go wrong- we could meet up with ruffians, and thugs, or you could get sick by catching the plague. Don't be silly! There's no way you could survive out there!"

Certainly I knew that there were bad things outside of the tower, but I believed that I was somewhat capable of handling myself.

"Mother," I began again, "I'm almost 18 years old! I'm not completely…"

She immediately interrupted me again. "Seriously, Rapunzel. Don't be silly! Don't you see that you are gullible to what people say to you? Why, you believe everything I say, even when I'm joking! You're much to naïve to go see the stars by yourself, and I will not take you. There's many things in the outside world that could harm you and I'm the only one who can protect you!"

My shoulders slumped as soon as she said that I believe everything that she says to me. That hit too close to home. _It's true, maybe she's right. I should stay here. Who knows what kind of trouble I could get us into? And I don't even know where to go to see the lights if I tried to go by myself._

Mother could see that my resolve was weakening. "I know best, darling. I'm your mother and I will protect you." She opened her arms wide and I walked quickly into them. I hugged her tightly and felt a rush of love for her. _She's only trying to protect me._

She smiled at me. "Don't ask about the stars again, all right, darling? I love you and I don't want to see anything happen to you."

I sighed and reluctantly agreed. "I love you more, Mother."

She hugged me closer. "I love you most."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Soon after that, Mother left again, saying that she needed to bring home some provisions. As she left, she called to me, "I'll see you soon, my flower!"

As I watched her leave, I sighed. "I'll be here," I muttered. Since Mother was gone, Pascal scampered from his hiding spot and came to me, giving me something of a glare.

I sighed heavily again. "Don't look at me like that, Pascal. I did everything that I could, and she's only trying to do what's best for me."

He scowled again. Well, as much as a chameleon can scowl. I knew what he was saying though- _Rapunzel, when are you going to grow up and be independent of your mother?_

I didn't respond. I didn't have an answer for that.


	3. The Stranger

A/N: Thank you for those who have reviewed my story. I really appreciate the time you spend reading and reviewing my story.

I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled

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_**Chapter 2- The Stranger **_

"You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."

-Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

Shortly thereafter, I lay on my bed, thinking. Pondering what Mother had just said to me. Snippets of what she said couldn't leave my brain and repeated themselves over and over again. _You're too frail and fragile to go outside…Who knows what could happen to you out there…You're gullible to what people say to you…You believe everything I say…You're much too naive….I'm the only one who can protect you…I know best. _

Was she right? Was I a completely silly, naive and gullible person? Pascal poked his head out from underneath my pillow. _Maybe he has some idea,_ I thought. _Can't hurt to ask. _I sat up, and took him gently in my hands. As I held to my face, I asked him in my most serious voice, "What do _you _think, Pascal? Do you think I'm too immature to go outside?" Immediately he shook his green head. I laughed, relieved to know that one person in my life had _some_ faith in me.

"Thank you, Pascal," I said. "I feel a little better now, knowing that you believe in me." He grinned his chameleon grin and I set him back down onto my pillow. He curled up in a ball, and immediately started to nap. I, however, was still much too keyed up to do the same. Even though I had told Mother I would not ask about the stars again, I could not get them out of my head. I still wanted, with ever single fiber of my being, to see the lights and find out their secret. Maybe we could strike up some kind of bargain? Like if she took me to see the lights, I would cook every night for dinner? Or maybe I could do something special for her like…

Suddenly, I smacked my hand on my bed, realizing that I could not really do anything for Mother that I didn't do already. Generally, I cleaned the tower, and cooked, and baked, and all sorts of other things. And it wasn't as if I could go outside and find food for us for a change. Mother had made it very clear that she did not want me to go outside of the tower. Then what could I do to convince her to take me? Desperation washed over me like a wave, and despair followed along with it. There was_ nothing_ I could do. I would be trapped up here in this tiny little space forever.

Lost in my pessimistic thoughts, I almost didn't hear the sound of something hitting against the tower. _What was that_, I wondered as I dashed downstairs. Pascal, woken up by my frustrated smack, quickly followed me. I rapidly walked over to the windows, keenly listening for any further noises. To my shock, the banging and scratching became louder and louder. Suddenly, the reality of the situation hit me. Somebody or something was outside of my tower. And it wasn't Mother.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Alarmed, I grabbed the only weapon I could find in the short time I had before whatever it was entered the tower: my frying pan. I quickly hid behind our dress dummy, hoping that whatever it was wouldn't hurt me. _Of course_, I realized, _I can hurt it before it hurts me._

I barely had thought that before the something opened the window and leaped inside my tower. From my hiding spot, I could see that it was a man. He quickly shut the window again and I could hear him sigh.

"Alone at last", he said, sounding relieved. _Your relief isn't going to last long, there, mister_. Raising the pan high above my head, I quickly ran out from my hiding spot and smacked the back of his head with it. He immediately slumped to the floor, unconscious. Uncertain as to how long he would remain that way, I hastily hid behind the dummy again. I waited a few moments, and when he hadn't stirred a bit, I crept out from behind the dummy. I was now a bit curious to see who this stranger was.

I tip-toed back over to him. With my frying pan, I poked his head, making sure that he wouldn't wake up suddenly and hurt me. Pascal, who did not seem as alarmed as I was, soon followed me. I looked over at him, giving a questioning glance. _What should I do?_ He quickly pointed to Mother's drawing of a man with pointy teeth, which she painted the last time I had asked about going outside. That time she told me great- and scary- stories of men who would love nothing better than to hurt me. _Don't forget, Rapunzel,_ she warned. _There are plenty of men out there who could harm you with their pointy teeth. _

Anxious, I used the handle of my frying pan to open his mouth and examine his teeth. Instead of pointy and scary teeth, this man had nice shiny white ones. Ones that were very much like my own, in fact. _Hmmm. _I looked more closely at him, particularly interested in the brown lock of hair that covered his eyes. I flicked the lock over his head, and peered even closely at him. Soft brown hair, a nice face, long eyelashes. I felt my shoulders relax. Surely this man looked too normal to be one of the monsters in my mother's stories.

His eyes suddenly opened. Startled, I hit him on the head with my frying pan again. He, of course, fell unconscious for the second time. Pascal scampered over to me, and gave me a pointed look_. Rapunzel, what would happen if your mother found him here? _

I found myself becoming nervous again. "You're right, Pascal," I said, with a tremor in my voice. "I have to hide him somewhere! Mother would be furious if she found him." _And she's already displeased with me_, I thought silently. I quickly glanced around the room, searching for something big enough to put him in. My gaze landed on my closet. Perfect!

However, instead of being perfectly easy, it was a perfect nuisance fitting him in there. More often than not, I would shove him inside (using my hair as a tool), only to find that after I shut the door, the lock on my closet was broken. And more times than I could count, I found the doors opening. He would fall on top of me and knock me to the floor. Finally, I shoved him inside the closet and pushed the green rocking chair under the handles. Success! The doors stayed shut.

"Okay, okay," I said, thinking aloud. "I've got a person in my closet, I've got a person in my closet." Suddenly, the realization of what I had done sunk in. Somebody had come up to the tower and I had, on my own, defended myself and imprisoned them. "I've got a_ person_...in my _closet_!" I said gleefully. I walked over to Mother's full length mirror with a laugh, my frying pan in my hand. "Too weak to handle myself out there, huh, Mother?" I smirked. I threw up my frying pan up in the air and caught it. Turning it in a circle, I continued. "Well, tell that to my frying pan!" Overzealous, I accidentally hit myself with the pan. However, my triumphant feelings remained. _Take that, Mother. I am much stronger and smarter than you think I am! _I decided I was going to show her the man when she returned. Surely Mother would now believe that I was capable of handling myself outside. Overcome with gladness, I beamed a smile at Pascal. _We're one step closer to seeing the floating lights!_


	4. The Confrontations

A/N: Thank you to all of you who are reviewing my story! I'm so glad you are enjoying each chapter. I hope you have fun reading this chapter, because I sure had fun writing the part with Flynn and Rapunzel.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled

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_**Chapter 3- The Confrontations **_

"But a wise parent humors the desire for independent action, so as to become the friend and adviser when his absolute rule shall cease."

-Elizabeth Gaskell, _North and South_

I relished my triumph for a few more moments until something sparkling in the mirror caught my eye. Surprised, I turned around and saw something glittery poking out of the Unnamed Man's brown leather satchel. I was too curious not to take a peek, and took it out of the satchel. _Whatever this is_, I thought decidedly, _it has to be one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. _It had lovely sparkling white things that I guessed were opals or diamonds (I knew what they looked like because I had seen them in one of my books), strung along on a large circular gold band. It appeared to be a very big necklace or maybe a bracelet. Hesitantly, I carefully put it on my wrist and then shot a look at Pascal. _Does that look right?_ He shook his head, and then pointed to my own head.

"Ah," I said, delighted. "I should put it on my head, right?" I turned back to the mirror and cautiously placed it on my head. I looked carefully at my own reflection, slightly astonished at what I saw in the mirror. Instead of a naive and silly girl, I saw a strong and capable woman who was quite capable of fulfilling her duty as a…princess. It almost seemed like the head thing was _made_ for her. Shaking my head, I laughed quietly to myself. _That's ridiculous; you've been reading too many fantasies, Rapunzel. You're not secretly some lost princess. _

My thoughts wandered back to the Unnamed Man_. _He obviously wasn't some prince or even somebody who seemed to have a lot of money. His disheveled appearance made that quite clear. _So, how on earth_, I wondered, _had he found the head thing? _

_ "_Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

For the second time that day, my mother's call broke into my thoughts. Instinctively, I knew that Mother should not see the satchel or the head thing, so I quickly hid them both in the closest thing that I could find: our pot.

"One moment, Mother," I called as I dashed toward the window, and carefully draped my long blond hair over the hook. I felt nerves creep into my stomach, like butterflies. I was about to ask Mother again to take me to see the floating lights, and even though I knew now that I was capable of handling myself outside, maybe the capture of the man still wouldn't be enough. Would I be able to bear it if she said no…again?

"I've got a big surprise for you!" I heard her say. _She sounds a lot happier than when she left_, I thought, relieved. Maybe I'll be able to convince her this time. And I have a great surprise for her too!

"Um, I do too!" I yelled back as I started to pull her up.

"Oh, I bet my surprise is bigger!" she replied in a sing-songy voice.

Bigger than a 5 foot 8 man? "I seriously doubt it", I muttered quietly to myself. What could she possibly bring in her basket that would be bigger than the Unnamed Man? I was pleased, though, that she was bringing me a surprise. She might not be upset with me anymore, and maybe, just maybe, the surprise is something special for my birthday!

As she entered the tower, she looked happily at me. "I brought hazelnuts and I'm going to make hazelnut soup for dinner. Your favorite. Surprise!" she told me, throwing her arms out wide.

Although I did love hazelnut soup, I was slightly disappointed. She still did not seem to remember that my birthday was tomorrow. _There's still time for you to ask her about the lights again_, I reminded myself. _Remember Unnamed Man!_

"Thank you, Mother," I said, gratefully. She smiled at me, seemingly pleased by my gratitude. My stomach became turned up in knots. How should I begin to tell her about what I had done?

"So, Mother," I began. "I have something I want to tell you…."

She didn't let me finish before she broke in. "Oh, you know I hate leaving you after a fight, when I've done absolutely nothing wrong," she said.

Inwardly, I groaned to myself. _She's thinking I mean to apologize. _That thought was quickly followed by_ Oh, sure, _I'm_ the only one who ever does anything wrong. _I became irritated, and it gave me enough energy to follow through with my plan of telling her about Unnamed Man. I watched her as she walked over to our table and started unloading the hazelnuts.

"So, Mother," I started again, "I've been thinking a lot about what you said earlier and…"

She cut me off. "I hope you're not still talking about the _stars."_

I decided then and there that I really did not like it when she interrupted me when I was trying to tell her something. Couldn't she just hear me out? "Floating lights," I corrected, "and yes, I'm leading up to that." I started walking over to my closet, mentally preparing myself for the big unveiling.

Mother answered me in somewhat of a condescending tone. "Because I really thought we dropped the issue, sweetheart."

You _dropped the issue, not me_, I thought. _I'm still prepared to argue this with you._ _Especially now that I captured the stranger. "_No, Mother, I'm just saying that you_ think_ I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there," I continued.

She chuckled to herself. "Oh, I _know_ you're not strong enough to handle yourself out there."

_Yes, I am,_ I thought. _And if you just trusted me, you'd see that I am capable of defending myself and keeping myself safe. _

"But if you just…" I began again, and my hand crept over to the handle of my closet. _I'm ready to prove myself to you._

"Rapunzel," she said, firmly. "We're done talking about it."

_No, We're not. Not when I've done something so huge! I captured this man all by myself!_

"trust me…" I pleaded.

"Rapunzel," she repeated, annoyed now.

Even though I could see that Mother was on the verge of losing her temper, I was determined to tell her about Unnamed Man.

I continued. "Oh, come on, I know…"

"Rapunzel!"

Determined to finish, I began again. "I know what I…"

Her face was almost red with rage now. Overcome with dread, I knew she was going to let me have it. But I was unprepared for how angry she was.

"Enough with the lights, Rapunzel!" she exploded. "You are not leaving this tower! Ever!" She enunciated every single word, and each word was said even more heatedly than the last.

Shocked by her vehemence, my hand crept away from the handle. I couldn't have been more stricken if she had slapped me. I stared at her, shocked at how emphatically she had forbidden me ever to leave. I knew Mother did not want me to leave the tower, but I had no idea how badly she wanted me to stay with her. I thought that maybe once I reached an age where she thought I was mature enough, I could leave the tower and take care of myself. Maybe go paint somewhere. Those hopes seemed to wither and die before they had a chance to live. I felt my heart tear in two-partly because of how upset my mother was, and partly because I wanted to go see the lights so badly. _What am I going to do now_, I thought desperately. _I _can't _stay up here forever, no matter how much I love Mother!_

Mother slumped into a chair by the table, seemingly exhausted by her words. "Oh, great, now I'm the bad guy," she muttered. She dropped her head into her hand, as if she had a headache.

I decided to take pity on Mother, and I also decided that I would ask for something else for my birthday. Maybe some paint because I was out of my favorite kind, the one she had made for me once from the white shells. The white shells that took her 3 days to get. And if she left today that would give me 3 days without Mother. _Hmm…_

"All I'm saying, Mother," I said softly, "is that I know what I want for my birthday now."

"And what is that?" she said in a weary tone.

"New paint," I asked, "the paint from the white shells you once brought me."

Mother sat upright again and began to protest. "Well, that is a very long trip, Rapunzel! All most three days time!"

"I know," I answered. "But I just thought it would be a better idea than the _stars."_ I winced inwardly._ They're not stars, and I know it!_

I watched her carefully. She took a deep breath, and I could tell that she was giving in. "Are you sure that you'll be all right on your own?" she asked, and placed an arm around my shoulders.

_"_I know I'm safe as long as I'm here," I assured her.

XXXXXXXXXXX

I helped Mother pack, and she reminded me to be careful and that she would be back in three days. As she left, I waved at her and watched her disappear. And as I did, I remembered Unnamed Man, who was still trapped in my closet. _What does he want with the tower,_ I wondered. _It's not like we have anything valuable in he_- A cold fist of fear gripped my stomach. Yes, we did. My hair. Hair that could heal anything. What if the man had somehow heard of my hair and had come to cut or steal it?

Pacal, who (of course) had hid while Mother had been home, came out from behind the pot. _What's wrong, Rapunzel?_

I answered him, with another tremor in my voice. "The man, Pascal. What if he wants my hair?" He looked at me, with a little bit of fear in his eyes as well, but he answered me bravely. _Well, there's only one way to find out, isn't there?_

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Pascal and I made a good team in this adventure. He helped me tie (with my hair!) the man up in a chair, and he even told me that he would be the one to wake him up so that I could make some kind of fearful entrance. He also told me that the key to this mission was to never let Unnamed Man know that I was scared.

When I was sure that I was ready to question him, Pascal jumped onto his shoulder, and tried to wake him up. First, he tried to poke him with his tail, but the man never stirred. I watched with a slight laugh, as Pascal stuck his tongue in the man's ear. _That will work! _He had done that to me on several occasions and it had never ceased to wake me instantly.

And of course it worked on Unnamed Man as well. He bolted upright in his chair with a slight screech. I watched him silently as he looked dazedly around the room, and heard him say, "is that…hair?" in a astonished voice. Pascal looked at me, pointedly. _It's time._

I gulped, knowing that he was right. I took a deep, deep breath and assured myself that everything would be all right_. After all, I still have my frying pan._ I watched as he attempted to break free of my hair.

"Struggling," I said, trying to erase all fear from my voice, "Struggling is _pointless."_ I walked closer to where he sat. Taking another deep breath, I continued. "I know why you're here and I'm _not_ afraid of you." _Never let them see your fear_, I reminded myself. I continued to look at him from my secret hiding spot, watching for his reaction.

He still looked dazed and confused. Actually, he looked like somebody had hit him with a frying pan and he had been hit more than once. His expression was kind of comical, and I would have laughed if the situation hadn't been what it was. "What?"

Pascal gave me another pointed look. _Time to reveal yourself, Rapunzel._ I nodded, knowing he was right. With every ounce of me I did not want to have to do this but I forced myself to walk into the light, where he could see me.

"Who are you, and how did you find me?" I asked firmly.

He continued to look stunned. _Maybe he lost a few brain cells when I hit him. _"Who are you and how did you find me?" I asked again, louder this time. I raised my frying pan higher too, like I would hit him with it if he didn't answer me.

He gazed at me, and he seemed to finally regain some of his composure. "ah ha," I heard him mutter. He loudly cleared his throat and started to speak in an elegant and refined manner. "I know not who you are, nor how I came to find you, but may I just say…"

I was dumbfounded. Had I come across a poet?

His tone changed abruptly. "Hi. How ya doing? The name's Flynn Rider. How's your day going?" he finished suavely with a wink and a smirk.

That's more of what I was expecting. A refined man would not be running around the woods, and climbing into random people's towers. I continued with Pascal's and my previous plan: Question him vehemently and don't take no for an answer.

"Who else knows my location, _Flynn Rider?"_ I inquired in a strong voice. At the same time, I threatened him with my ferocious frying pan.

He seemed to have had enough of the frying pan. "All right, look, Blondie," he began.

Blondie? _No one_ calls me Blondie. Who was this character anyway? "Rapunzel," I corrected him.

He snickered. "Gesundheit." I felt annoyance replacing my fear. My name was nothing to laugh and joke about. I gave him a pointed glare.

He seemed completely unaffected by that as well. _He has an awful lot of confidence for a man who is tied up in my hair with no immediate way of escape_. "Here's the deal," he continued blithely. "I was in a situation, gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower and….oh no!" Suddenly a look of complete horror crossed his face. His gaze quickly darted around the room. "Where is my satchel?" he asked nervously.

Ha ha. Now _I_ have the upper hand. The satchel and head thing are obviously things he wanted to keep. "I've hidden it," I said smugly. "Somewhere you'll never find it."

His gaze darted around the room again, examining every nook and cranny. Against my will, my own gaze seemed locked on his eyes. His very nice hazel eyes. Eyes the color of my favorite hazelnut soup. I shook my head, trying to banish those thoughts. _Rapunzel, what are you_ thinking_?_ Finally, his eyes settled on the pot. The pot where I had hidden his satchel. "It's in that pot, isn't it?" he asked.

Annoyed, I hit him on the head with my frying pan. _Time for a new hiding place….and maybe a new strategy too. _


	5. The Deal

A/N: Thanks for all the favorable reviews! I'm glad that you like my story and enjoy reading it. I had a fun time writing this chapter too; Flynn is pretty fun to write (as is Rapunzel!) and this scene is one of my favorites in the entire movie.

Nexus- Here comes the smolder!

Disclaimer: I don't own Tangled

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_**Chapter 4-The Deal**_

"I don't have the fire in the belly right now. It's one of those been there, done that deals."  
-Steve Largent

"Good things happen when you meet strangers."  
Yo-Yo Ma

After I hit Flynn Rider on the head for the third time, I quickly looked around the room frantically for a new place to hide the satchel. Pascal, the genius that he was, scampered to me, and pointed to the stairs. "That's perfect, Pascal…and brilliant! There's no way he would be able to find it there. Only you and I know of the secret compartment," I said, enthused.

I removed the satchel from the pot and walked to the stairs. Carefully, I pushed the last stair up to reveal the hollow spot inside. I peered closely at it. Would it be big enough to fit Flynn's satchel? I cautiously lowered it into the hole, praying that it would fit.

It did, barely. I breathed a heavy sigh of relief. One problem solved. I glanced quickly at Flynn, who was my other problem of the moment. I needed to find out why he was here, and I needed to do it now. "Okay, Pascal. Can you wake him up again for me?" I asked, as I walked back over to Flynn's chair. He nodded and quickly scurried over to where my captive was tied up. He jumped up onto his shoulder, seemingly enjoying his task. He shot me a happy look before he stuck his tongue back in Flynn's ear.

"AHH!" he screeched, immediately awake. He soon noticed Pascal's tongue in his ear, and a look of disgust crossed his face. "Will you stop that?" he said, aggravated.

I cleared my throat. "Ahem". He looked at me, looking very irritated. I smothered my own annoyed feelings. _Like I'm enjoying this, mister. You could be here to steal my hair!_

I took a deep breath. _Time to pick up where we left off._ "_Now _I've hidden it where you'll never find it," I told him in my most smug tone. He continued to look at me, and I found it very unnerving. I knew that I had to continue in my questioning, though, no matter how much I hated it. "So," I began, circling around his chair like a hawk, "what do you want with my hair? To cut it?"

He appeared to be completely nonplussed. "What?"

_You're not fooling me one bit. _"Sell it?" I continued, staring him down.

He still looked confused. _Great acting there, mister, you should be on the stage._ "What?" Suddenly he seemed to realize what I had asked him. "No, listen, the only thing I want with your hair is to get out of it! Literally!" he declared.

I was prepared to interrogate him some more, but something about his tone seemed very honest to me. Maybe he didn't really want my hair after all. "Wait," I asked him hesitantly. "You _don't_ want my hair?"

He stared at me, in utter disbelief. "Why on earth would I want your hair?" _Why _wouldn't_ you if you knew what it could do? Perhaps he knows nothing about my hair. _That thought was confirmed by the next words out of his mouth. "Look," he went on to say. "I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it. End of story."

I wanted to believe him, (why would I want to be stuck in a tower with a thief who wanted to steal my hair?) but I had to make sure. Pascal jumped onto my shoulder and looked at me, and his look suggested that I continue questioning him. I nodded slightly to him, to let him know I received his message. "You're telling the truth?" I asked him slowly, with my frying pan outstretched.

"Yes!" he insisted firmly. Pascal, who was a great judge of character, jumped off my shoulder, ran down my arm, and landed on the frying pan. He stared into Flynn's eyes, searching to see if there was truth there. He gave me a slight nod. I knew that meant that he thought the man was telling the truth. Time for a consultation. I carefully walked with Pascal out of the man's earshot, ignoring his questioning looks.

I took Pascal carefully into my hands so he could see my eyes. _So, Rapunzel_, Pascal said with his eyes. _You know you need someone to take you to see the floating lights. _"Yes, I know I need someone to take me," I told him quietly. _I think this man seems to be telling the truth about not wanting your hair. _"I think he's telling the truth too," I agreed. _Are you afraid of him? _ "No," I said, and was surprised to find that it was true. But I was not afraid now that I knew he didn't want my hair. Plus…. "He doesn't have fangs." Not only did he not have fangs, but he also had lovely eyes the color of my favorite…. _You're thinking of asking him to take you to see the lights aren't you? It could be dangerous and backfire on you, you know. _Of course I realized that, but I really wanted to go see the floating lights. The only problem was how to convince him to take me. Hmmm. Soon, a brilliant plan entered into my head. If Flynn took me to see the lights, I would let him have his satchel back. It was simple and completely foolproof. Pascal, who read my mind half the time, knew exactly what I was thinking. _Are you sure, Rapunzel?_ "Yes," I informed him. "What other choice do I have?" _No other choice, but I just want to make sure your mind is made up._ I smiled at Pascal and placed him on my shoulder. I began to walk back over to Flynn's chair, and picked up some of my hair that was dragging on the floor on my way.

"All right, _Flynn Rider_," I said confidently. "I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

"_Deal?_" he repeated, incredulous. Somehow I got the feeling that he usually was the one who made deals, not the one who had to agree to them. I also got the feeling that he had seen it all. I continued to walk over to my painting of the floating lights, pulling on my hair to turn his chair to face it. I dragged the curtain so that he could see my painting.

"Do you know what these are?" I asked him. Unfortunately, I realized that I had pulled too hard on my hair and his face was now flat on the floor.

However, he still seemed to be able to see the painting. He glanced at it for a few brief seconds before responding. "You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?"

He knew what they were! I was completely excited and overjoyed, partly because if he knew _what_ they were that also meant that he knew _where_ they were and partly because he said_ lanterns. _Mother was wrong, just like I thought. The lights were not stars, after all, but _lanterns._ I felt completely vindicated.

"Lanterns!" I repeated softly to myself, in complete awe. "I _knew _they weren't stars!" I beamed a smile at Pascal, thrilled. _Remember the plan, Rapunzel. _Right, the plan.

"Well," I began, facing Flynn and I watched as he tried to push himself back up. "Tomorrow evening they will light the night the night sky with these _lanterns._"I glanced back at him to make sure he was listening to me. He was. _Good._

"You will act as my guide," I told him, "and take me to see the lanterns and return me home safely." I looked back at him, to gauge his reaction. He appeared to be slightly annoyed again. He probably has made tons of deals, I thought, and perhaps broken them all too. He also seemed like he was only listening to see when he could get back his satchel. Well. "Then and o_nly _then will I return you satchel to you. That is my deal," I finished.

He set his jaw firmly before he replied. "Yeah, no can do", he said curtly. "Unfortunately the kingdom and I aren't (here he made quotation marks in the air to emphasize his point) 'simpatico' at the moment so I won't be taking you anywhere."

I hadn't counted on that. I darted a glance at Pascal. _What should I do now?_ He looked back at me and made a fist with his 'hands'. The message was unmistakable- Hit him. Hard. I shook my head slightly. No, that won't work. Even though Flynn said he couldn't take me, I couldn't help but feeling that there was something that had brought him here, and he _would _end up taking me to see the lanterns. And I also felt that, even though he was being very unpleasant to me, I could trust him. I took hold of that thought and fueled into energy. I _would _convince him to take me!

I pulled on my hair again to set his chair aright. "Something brought you here, _Flynn Rider_," I informed him. "Call it what you will. Fate. Destiny…"

He interrupted me. "A horse?" he retorted, dryly.

I continued, ignoring his remark. "…So I have made the decision to trust you." I walked close to him and held his chair up by my hair and my hand. I peered closely into his eyes.

He cut in again, before I could say anything else. "A horrible decision, really."

Maybe so, but even if I couldn't take him at his word, he could take me at mine. There was no way I would give him his satchel if he didn't take me to the lanterns. I brought my face up even closer to his. "But trust me when I tell you this," I stated sternly. "You can tear this tower apart _brick_ by _brick_, but without my help you will_ never_ find your precious satchel."

He raised one eyebrow at me, like he didn't believe me, but I could tell that he was starting to actually think about my deal. "Let me get this straight," he finally said. "I take you to see the lanterns…bring you back home…and you'll give me back my satchel?"

_By jove, I think he's got it!_ "I promise", I told him. He raised an eyebrow at me, and still looked like he didn't believe me at all. _He might think he knows me,_ I thought, _but he doesn't at all. _I couldn't think of one promise in my entire life that I had broken. "And when I promise something," I informed him. "I never, ever break that promise."

He continued to stare at me, with one eyebrow raised in disbelief. "Ever!" I repeated firmly. He still gazed intently at me, like he could not decide what he was going to do. Finally, he seemed to reach some conclusion. _Maybe he's going to agree_, I thought hopefully.

He wasn't. "All right, I didn't want to have to do this," he began. "But you leave me no choice." He seemed to gather all of his wits. "Here comes the smolder", he finished with a suave wink. _The…what? _He immediately dipped his chin to his chest, and then brought it back up with the strangest face I had ever seen in my entire life. Even now, I still don't know how to describe it- It was like a cross between a frown, a scowl, and a sulky face, with a raised eyebrow and pouty lips thrown in for good measure. I had no idea what his face was supposed to be saying to me, and so I continued to stare him down, (It wasn't until Eugene and I had been married for some time that he told me that the "Smolder" was his seducing face. We both had a good laugh that day).

He seemed completely surprised by my reaction. "This is kind of an off day for me," he said, astonished. "This doesn't normally happen." Since I did not know what_ this_ was, or what _normally happened_ when he made that face, I stared him down, unrelenting. _You_ will_ agree to take me. _

He seemed to have had enough of my stares. "All right, fine," he finally agreed. "I'll take you to see the lanterns."

Overcome with joy, I let go of both my hair and the chair. "Really?" I asked, excitedly. As a result of my removing my hand, he crashed to the floor once more, face first.

"You broke my smolder!" he said, weakly.

I barely heard him in my complete and utter excitement. After all those years of hoping and wishing, I was finally going to live my dream of seeing the floating lights!


	6. The Frying Pan

A/N: Okay, so this isn't what I originally intended for this chapter. At all. But sometimes an idea comes to you, and you just have to run with it. That's what happened here, and I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 5- The Frying Pan**_

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, and this wasn't it."

-Groucho Marx

After Flynn finally agreed to my deal and I had untied him, I glanced around the room, looking for anything that I might need on my journey. I decided that there wasn't, except for Pascal (of course!) and my frying pan. Throughout my dealings with Flynn, I had become quite fond of it. It was a superb weapon, and it was the only weapon that Mother and I had in the tower. Plus, my trusty frying pan seemed to protect me very well.

_Hmmm,_ I thought. Since this frying pan had become somewhat of a friend of mine, maybe I should name it, like I named Pascal. At first, I called him "Chameleon" because, of course, that was what he was. But eventually calling a chameleon "Chameleon" grew very tedious, not to mention predictable and boring. I ultimately decided to name him after Blaise Pascal because I had been studying Pascal's triangle when I first met him.

But what could I call a frying pan? Obviously "Fried" and "Panny" were out. So was "Blackie". Everybody would expect a frying pan to be called by those names. _Hmmm._ Suddenly, I remembered my book about Greek mythology and their numerous gods and goddesses. I also remembered Hestia, who was the goddess of hearth, home, and cooking. Perfect. My frying pan would be named Hestia, after her, and Hesty for short.

"Are you ready?" Flynn's voice broke into my thoughts. In my reverie, I had almost forgotten he was there. I glanced over at him. He looked seriously annoyed.

I was beginning to wonder if he had any other facial expressions besides complete annoyance and utter confusion. _Well, there _is t_he" smolder", whatever that's supposed to be. _I quickly answered him, though. No need to completely alienate him when we had quite a trip ahead of us. "Of course! Pascal, Hesty, and I are all ready for this grand adventure!"

He appeared to be flabbergasted again. "Now I'm guessing that 'Pascal' is the frog, and you are yourself, but who on earth is 'Hesty'?" he asked me, as he crossed his arms across his chest.

I let out a slight chuckle. "Hesty is my frying pan, of course!" I told him. _Silly boy! _

His face became even more confused and shocked, if that was even possible. "You _named _your frying pan?" he asked me, incredulous.

I laughed again, completely and utterly giddy. Not even his scorn could ruin_ this _day. "Why not?" I replied. "Hesty's certainly served me well today." I gave him a very pointed look. _You've been the victim of Hesty three times today. Why shouldn't I name something so completely useful to me?_

I watched him as his face changed from disbelief to exasperation to amusement. "O…kay," he said finally. "If you, Pascal, and _Hesty_", (he couldn't seem to help smirking at Hesty's name), "are ready, now would be a good time to get going. That is, if you can drag yourself away from all your other precious named objects."

Now it was my turn to be annoyed. "There's no need to flame me" I retorted.

He smirked and held up his hands. "Oh, no, Blondie," he insisted as he gestured around the room. "I wouldn't want to take you away from Bookie, Ovey, and Mopy here."

I began to fume. How _dare_ he make fun of me! "That's quite-"

He ignored me, enjoying himself fully. "Not to mention Buckie, Tabley, and Chairy. Or maybe we should call the chairs "cheery" instead because you are so "cheery" when you sit down to eat." He began to laugh so hard that I almost was afraid he wouldn't be able to breathe. Not that _that _would necessarily be a bad thing…

He continued, through spurts of laughter. "I mean, how you could you even _think_ of leaving your…"

That was enough. I walked over to him, and gave him my best glare. I also shoved my frying pan in his face. "I will use this," I threatened, "if you don't stop that right now."

He continue to chuckle, but I could tell that maybe he was finally finished his joking at my expense. "Oh, okay, Blondie!" he finally said, as he attempted to conceal his mirth. "No need to get yourself all _fried._" He couldn't contain one final smirk, snicker and snort.

I let out a deep breath. Now that he was done his mocking, I realized that I had over-reacted slightly. But still! I'd like to see him live in a tower for his whole life without becoming so lonely that you would talk to anyone or anything, even inanimate objects. My aggravation slowly vanished, even though I had not enjoyed his sarcasm. "Rapunzel", I corrected softly. "And I'm ready to go if you are."

He seemed to be slightly surprised by my complete change in mood, but he managed to cover most of it. "Oh, of course, _I_ am. Flynn Rider's prepared for anything," he informed me. "I was just waiting to make sure _you _were."

_Ah-huh, Right. That's what all the joking was about. _"Yes, I am. And _Rapunzel_ is prepared for anything too. That is, as long as she can have some of her_ precious_ objects with her. Otherwise, who knows how lonely she could become? I mean, wouldn't _you_ be if you lived in a tower all by yourself for most of your life?" I tossed back, with another pointed look. _Now, do you understand?_

His facial expression changed into something akin to remorse, and I could tell that my jab had met its mark. I seriously doubted that he would admit as much to me, though. That would ruin his whole "tough guy" image. "Well, all right, then," he said finally. "Let's get you to see those lanterns."

I took another deep breath. "All right" I replied. _I hope that the rest of the trip won't be continual verbal sparing_, I thought. Maybe I had taken on more than I could handle!

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A/N: In case you weren't sure- Ovey is oven, Mopy is mop, Bookie is book, Buckie is bucket, Tabley is table, and Chairy is chair :)


	7. The Outside World

A/N: So I actually finished this chapter yesterday, but I want to look over it before I posted it. For me, I see this scene as a slight change in how Rapunzel sees Flynn, and I wanted to make sure that it came across like I wanted. It pretty much does, so here you go! As always, thank you to those who are reading and review my story :) A very Happy New Year's to you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 6-The Outside World**_

"She had not known the weight until she felt the freedom!"

-Nathaniel Hawthorne, _The Scarlet Letter_

After Flynn Rider and I had our_ fantastically _fun tete a tete, he informed me that we needed to leave the tower now, or we would not cover enough ground that day. I agreed, and in turn, I told him to lead the way. Naturally, he did and started climbing down the tower with part of a broken arrow, all the while assuring me that nothing could _ever_ harm me when I was in the company of the incredibly good-looking, unbelievably intelligent rogue, Flynn Rider. Loyal listener, I'm pretty sure you can guess my reaction to _that_ (If you guessed a very large eye roll, you're right).

I hastily walked over to my tower's window, not wanting to hold up the irrepressible Flynn Rider, with Pascal on my shoulder and Hesty under my arm. But as soon as I had placed my hair over the hook, uncertainty and apprehension covered me like a very stifling blanket. As I looked out the window, my heart pounding a mile a minute, I finally realized what I was doing: After almost 18 years of living in a tower, I was leaving. I was leaving the only home I had ever known to enter a world that my mother had told me was dangerous and scary. I hesitated, unsure of which option I preferred: A tower that threatened to suffocate me with boredom, but would protect me at the same time, or a world with lanterns that I longed to see, but could potentially harm me. Inwardly, I went back and forth- should I stay? Should I go?

My shilly-shallying was not lost on Flynn Rider, of course. "You coming, Blondie?" he called, already a third of the way of the way down the tower.

I barely heard him over my beating heart. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the view from the tower. I had, of course, looked out the window many times, and each time I thought it was beautiful- numerous green trees, lush grass, a swiftly falling waterfall. But this was the first time I was actually about to physically see it for myself. "Look at the beautiful world out there, Pascal," I murmured. "It's so close and big! Do I even dare to leave?" He glanced at me, with a grin. _Certainly you should, Rapunzel. Just get out there and do it. _I smiled back as I tightened my grip on my hair. "All right, then. Here I go!"

I jumped out of my tower, using my hair as a guide, and passed a very surprised looking Flynn Rider on my way down. Exhilaration filled my veins, as I traveled closer and closer to the ground. Finally, I was there and grass was only inches beneath my feet. I cautiously touched one toe to the ground. Would it be everything that I dreamed it would be?

Oh, it was! The outside world was everything I had imagined it would be, and even more. The grass smelled heavenly, and the summer breeze seemed to call out to me- _Rapunzel, we're so glad you've finally come outside._ I started running, completely forgetting about Flynn Rider, because I felt so free. I was free from the tower, and even from my mother's protectiveness. It tasted so good that I, for the first time, realized how incredibly horrible it was to be cramped up in that tower. I felt so happy, but part of me couldn't believe that I had ignored my mother's warnings and left the tower. "I can't believe I did this," I muttered to Pascal. "I can't believe I did this," I repeated, for the first time fully understanding what I had done. It also dawned on me how furious Mother would be if she found out that I had left the tower and disobeyed her.

Suddenly, the apprehension that I felt up in the tower came back to me, in full force. But this time it came with a twist. Instead of being torn between the tower and the outside, I was conflicted between my own desires and obedience to my mother. My emotions went up and down like a see-saw, from one extreme to the other. One moment I would be enthralled with what I had done, the next berating myself for disobeying my mother (all you fans of Flynn Rider will be happy to hear that he actually put up with me quite patiently as I talked myself through this. Although Pascal told me later about all the irritated looks and glares that he made):

"Mother would be _so_ furious if she found out."

"That's okay, what she doesn't know won't kill her."

"Oh my gosh, this _would_ kill her!"

"This is _so_ fun!"

"I am a_ horrible_ daughter. I'm going back."

"I am _never _going back!"

"I am a _despicable_ human being!"

"Whoo-hoo! Best-Day-Ever!

Soon, I was emotionally spent and began to cry uncontrollably, burying my face in my hands. Pascal tried to comfort me, but to no avail. I was completely frozen by indecision and I didn't know what to do. I wanted to go see the lanterns badly, but my love for my mother drew me back to the tower. _What am I going to do? What am I going to do?_

Finally, I head a throat clear behind me. I quickly glanced up, wondering who it was (silly of me, I know. But I was really upset). _Oh, it's just Flynn Rider. I wonder what he's going to mock me about this time. _

He surprised me, though, by what he said and how kindly he said it. "You know, I couldn't help but notice that you're a little at _war_ with yourself."

Completely stunned that not only was he_ not_ mocking me, but he also sounded like he wanted to _help_. "What?" I asked._ Maybe he's not as immune to feelings as he appears to be._

He held up his hands. "Now I'm only picking up bits and pieces," he said. "Over-protective mother, forbidden road trip. This is serious stuff."

The word surprise doesn't go far enough to describe what I felt then. Was he actually _sympathizing_ with me? No teasing? No joking about how I was acting like an indecisive idiot? _Perhaps I've judged him too harshly. He seems to actually_ care_ about my feelings._

He continued, gently. "But let me ease your conscience. This is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure. That's _good, _healthy even_."_ I watched as Pascal jumped on his shoulder, and he quickly flicked him off.

I chuckled inwardly. At least _one_ thing about Flynn Rider seemed constant: He was not overly fond of Pascal. I processed what he was saying as I rubbed my hand across my teary eyes. _What I was feeling was normal? Healthy? _"You think?" I asked finally.

He leaned one foot against the rock behind me and resumed his lecture. "I know! You're way over-thinking this, trust me. Does your mother deserve this? No. Would this break her heart, and crush her soul? _Of course. _But you just got to do it."

What I was doing could emotionally hurt my mother? Of course, I realized that, but tear her heart in two? What kind of daughter was I? "Break…her heart?" I repeated slowly.

He picked something from the plant behind us. "In half."

What was the other thing he had said? Crush her soul? How could I do that to my poor mother? "Crush her…soul?"

He squished whatever he had picked between his fingers, as if to emphasize his point. "Like a grape."

My mother _would _be hurt if she found out that I had left the tower. I was surprised that his words were so true, and I was even more surprised when he gently helped me up. "She would be heartbroken, you're right" I told him.

He seemed to process that for a minute. "Hmmm. I am, aren't I? Oh bother," he muttered.

I felt my face fall, with the growing realization that I could damage my relationship with my mother. _Oh, what should I do?_

He noticed my facial expression (I was actually starting to wonder if there was anything that he _didn't _notice) and seemed to come to a conclusion. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm letting you out of the deal."

I was completely and utterly shocked, and thoughts of my mother went flying out of my head. After all we had been through, he was willing to just forgo our agreement? "What?"

He picked up Pascal and Hesty, who had been lying at my feet, and started to push me in the direction of the tower. "That's right. Let's just turn around and get you home" he assured me. I was totally dumbfounded, and had a new appreciation for his surprised looks in the tower. This is what it must have felt to have something you had counted on being completely erased. For him, it was his ability to talk himself out any deal except mine. And for me, it was the assurance of finally seeing the lanterns.

He shoved Pascal and Hesty into my hands, as he continued. "Here's your pan and your frog." _Chameleon,_ I corrected silently. "I get back my satchel and you get back a mother-daughter relationship based on mutual trust and voila! We part ways as unlikely friends."

I found myself growing increasingly annoyed as he talked. A mother-daughter relationship built on mutual trust? That's a laugh! Mother didn't trust me at all, and I hated that. Fueled by my anger, I came to my final decision and stopped dead in my tracks. "No," I insisted loudly. "I am seeing those lanterns!"

In turn, he became irritated. "Oh, come on!" he protested. "What's it going to take for me to get my satchel back?"

_Um, you fulfilling your end of the deal?_ For the unnumbered time that day, I shoved Hesty into his face. "I will use this," I threatened. He quickly put his arms up, as if to protect himself. As he did that, I was plagued by indecision. Should I hit him again, and then endure the hassle of trying to wake him up? Or should I just continue to threaten him, but not act on it? Pascal, now seated on my shoulder, seemed to want the former. _Hit him. Hard._

I never was able to decide between the two, however. Immediately, I heard rustling in a bush behind us and I was overcome with terror. In fact, I was so scared that I didn't think for a moment and just impulsively jumped onto Flynn Rider's back, hoping that Hesty would be able to protect us. My mother's warnings about scary men echoed in my mind, and my heart beat rapidly in my chest

"Is it ruffians? Thugs? Have they come for me?" I said, panicked. I clung fearfully to his shoulders. In the back of my mind, I was somewhat surprised that he didn't seem nervous at all. And, of course, his nonchalance was valid in the end. I decided later that it would take much more than rustling to scare an experienced thief like him (but, of course, I didn't know he was a thief then).

Instead of big, burly men, a small, non-threatening rabbit bounded out of the bushes. It was actually very cute looking with an adorable fuzzy tail.

Flynn Rider couldn't resist any opportunity to be facetious. "Stay calm," he said dryly. "It can probably smell fear."

Completely overcome with embarrassment, I slid off his back. I was also totally mortified that I had thrown myself on him. "Oh, sorry!" I apologized bashfully. "I guess I'm just a little bit…jumpy!"

He straightened his vest since it had gotten slightly lopsided when I clung to his back. "Probably be best if we avoided ruffians and thugs though."

I forced a slight laugh, as my heart rate slowed back down to normal. _Please! _"Yeah, that would probably be best. Who knows what I'd do if I actually saw one?"

Suddenly, a scheming glint appeared in his eyes. _What is he thinking now? _"Are you hungry?" he asked. "I know of a great place for lunch."

Slightly surprised by this apparent non-sequitur, I couldn't help asking him a question. "Where?" _Aren't you going to protest our deal some more? You are so completely unpredictable!_

He laughed. "Oh, don't worry," he assured me. "You'll know it when you smell it."

I would know it…when I _smelled_ it? Dubiously, I followed him. After all, what other choice did I have if I wanted to see the lanterns?


	8. The Not So Snuggly Duckling

A/N: 3 things...

1. Thanks again for all your nice reviews! They really are part of the reason that I continue to write this story.

2. Generally, I don't completely write out lyrics to the songs, but I love Flynn's so much that it's pretty much word for word here.

3. Yesterday I went to see Tangled again in the theaters. Wow. It was _even better_ the second time around. Even my dad liked it. If you're thinking of going to see it again, do it. It was so worth it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 7-The Not-So-Snuggly Duckling**_

"People are more than just the way they look."  
— Madeleine L'Engle_, A Wrinkle in Time_

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."  
_-_ Dorothy in _The Wizard of Oz_

Like I said previously, I dubiously followed Flynn Rider as he set off, musing all the while. I couldn't get his final words out of my head- I would know it when I smelled it. There were two possibilities to that, I minded. One, it could smell delicious. And two, it could smell like something I didn't want to think about.

So I decided I wouldn't. Why bother trouble? I couldn't very well ask him about where we were going, because for somebody who seemed to be able to talk himself out any situation, he sure did not seem very interested in chatting with me. I had already tried to get him to talk to me, and this is pretty much how it went:

Me: So, Flynn (for some strange reason, he was now Flynn in my mind, and not the annoying captive in my tower named Flynn Rider), lovely weather we're having.

Flynn: Oh, yeah. Right.

Long pause.

Me again: So, Flynn, what kind of food does this place have?

Flynn: The kind that…you eat.

(Hmm. Was he maybe_ hiding_ something from me?)

Another long pause. I couldn't help my next question.

Me: So, Flynn, what was that head thing called?

Flynn: That _head_ thing? (chuckle) You don't get out much, do you, Blondie?

Me: What gives you that impression?

Flynn: I have no idea. Anyway, it's called a tiara, or a crown. But don't mention it again.

Me: And why not?

Flynn (giving me a stern look): Just don't, okay? And no more questions.

After that, I decided that conversation wasn't worth it anymore. Instead, I daydreamed about the floating lights as I trudged along behind him. I thought about him too. I couldn't figure him out. One moment he was completely nice and civil to me and I would think maybe we could actually be friends. The next, he was utterly sarcastic and closed off and I would wonder why I kept following him. He was totally erratic! However, as infuriating as he could be, I kind of liked his unpredictability (hypocritical of me, I know). He was such a nice change from the tower where nothing ever changed. I liked his ability to notice pretty much everything, too. It was a very admirable trait, and one that I wished that I had. I also decided that there was more to him that I had first believed. In fact, I was increasingly beginning to think that he was hiding something big from me. Like, why he was being chased, and had to hide in my tower in the first place. And, furthermore, why he was so hesitant to answer any questions about the tiara. Granted, I was a little naive when it came to people (that's what can happen when you live alone in a tower for eighteen years), but wouldn't somebody open answer my questions?

Suddenly, he turned around and shot me a look. "Almost there, Blondie."

Would he ever remember that my name was_ Rapunzel_? "Rapunzel," I corrected automatically.

"Right."

There was total silence between us. I was starting to find it stifling, and reconsidered my decision to stop trying to get him to talk to me.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, whichever way you choose to see it), we finally reached a cross-roads. For the first time in many minutes, he seemed to perk up a little. In fact, he almost seemed giddy. _Was the food really that good? _"I know it's around here somewhere", he said as he glanced around, searching for something. His face brightened as he found wherever he was seeking. I liked it when he looked like that and I wondered what he would look like when he actually smiled (if he ever did!), and not smirked. He would likely have a very pleasant one, considering how nice and white his teeth were. I decided that, before our trip was over, I was going to try to get a real smile out of him.

His voice interrupted my thoughts. "Ah, there it is, The Snuggly Duckling."

Loyal listener, I can tell you that whatever I was expecting, The Snuggly Duckling was _not_ it. I was expecting, I don't know, a nice country inn or something quaint like that. I had seen pictures of them in my books, and I always dreamed about eating at one of them. The Snuggly Ducking was nothing like anything I had ever seen in any of my books. For one, it looked awful. The building itself was almost squashed beneath a large tree, and the place looked totally run down. For another, I didn't see any normal looking people anywhere near us (not that I knew exactly what a normal person would look like, but I'm sure you get the idea). I felt nervous butterflies flutter in my stomach. Just what kind of place _was_ this Snuggly Duckling? I stopped walking.

Naturally, he noticed my apprehension. "Oh, don't worry," he assured me. "It's a very quaint place, perfect for you. Don't want you getting scared and giving up on this whole endeavor, now do we?"

His reassurance actually made me feel slightly better. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, and after all… "Well, I do like duckling," I said thoughtfully.

"Yay!" he said with mock excitement. I followed him as we walked the last few feet to The Snuggly Duckling.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Dear listener, do you remember that Flynn said I would know it when I smelled it? He was right. As we drew closer to The Snuggly Duckling, my nose wrinkled. What was that horrid stench? I was about to tell him that I wasn't sure I really wanted to eat somewhere that smelled so awful, but he opened the door before I could say anything.

"Garcon!" he called. "Your finest table, please!"

As I looked into the Snuggly Duckling, I sharply inhaled. This was completely and totally NOT what I was expecting (or maybe it was). For one thing, was there any such thing as a finest table in this pit? Every single one looked like it was about to fall apart. In addition to that (and something that was even worse), was the fact that at every single worn-down table were big, huge, burly, hulking, mean, nasty, scary, intimidating, threatening, weapon-bearing…(okay, okay, I understand, you get the idea. Sorry) men who stank. In short, the kind of men that I thought Flynn originally was and the kind that Mother had always warned me about. Automatically, I thrust Hesty in front of me, hoping that she would protect me. I sort of doubted it though. I mean, Flynn was one thing. Fifty men who looked like Vikings was another. My feet twitched, and I knew I was about to run. In the complete opposite direction. Forget the floating lights, survival was more important right now!

However, before I could turn and run, Flynn put his hands on my shoulders and pushed me further and further into the restaurant, cracking witticisms the entire way. "You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose. " _Yes, I smell it, and no thank you._ "Really let that seep in. What are you getting? Because to me, that's part man-smell, and the other part is really bad man-smell. I don't know why, but overall it just smells like the color brown. Your thoughts? " _You don't want to know_-_I think I'm going to be sick!_

Suddenly, I felt something pull on my hair. I quickly turned, ready to swing at whomever it was. I saw that one Viking had some of my hair in his hands. "That's a lot of hair," he muttered. Flynn, of course, had a quip for that too. "She's growing it out", he told the man, wryly. Quickly, I ran over to the Viking and gathered up all 70 feet of hair in my hands (and yes, it was heavy and yes, it was hard to hold Pascal and Hesty at the same time). I kept Hesty out in front of me, desperately hoping that I would be able to fend off any attacks. In a complete stupor, I stumbled along, bumping into random Vikings, wishing that I could just get out of there.

Flynn, naturally, had no such urges. He was happily examining each man, and bellowed out descriptions to me. "Is that blood in your mustache?" he said to one. "Goldie, look at all the blood in his mustache! Good sir, that's a lot of blood!" _Oh, wonderful, now I'm not Blondie anymore but Goldie! Is that any better or worse? _ The color completely drained out of my face, and I was so overcome with terror that I felt that I was about to faint.

Flynn noticed. "Hey, you don't look so good, Blondie." He strolled over to me, and started to walk me over to the door. "Maybe we should get you home, call it a day. You'd probably be better off after all. This_ is_ a five start joint, and if you can't handle this, well, maybe you'd be better off in your tower." I didn't necessarily agree with that, (part of me-that wasn't totally terrified- wondered if he brought me there on purpose, just to scare me), but before I could say anything, and before we could leave, another Viking slammed the door closed with a piece of paper under his fist. "Is this you?" he said to Flynn. I attempted to read the piece of paper around his very large fingers: _Wanted, Dead or Alive, Flynn Rider, thief_. There was also a picture of Flynn on it, but as far as I could tell, the nose was drawn completely wrong. Hey, I'm a painter! I notice that kind of thing. And Flynn did too (Like I said, he notices _everything)_. "Oh, now they're just being mean", he muttered under his breath.

_Wanted…Flynn Rider…Thief_. Those three words tumbled along in my brain. I had been traveling along with a wanted…_thief?_! Suddenly, his hesitation about answering my questions made sense, and so did his ability to pick up on every single small detail. Of course, I realized, he must _have _to notice details or he would be caught. Also, he must have _stolen_ that tiara, and he was being chased because of it. But why steal a tiara? I mean, what use would a _man_ have with a tiara….

In my sudden revelations, I failed to notice that the Vikings were fighting over Flynn for some reason that I had totally missed. They also looked like they were on the verge of punching his face in. How could I tell? Well, the very large fists aimed at his face gave me a good indication. So did his repeated plea, "Not the nose! Not the nose!" I suddenly realized that if he went down, I would go down with him. After all, I had no idea where I was or how to get back home. Plus, he was my only hope of ever seeing those lanterns…

With that thought in mind, I began to hit the men with Hesty, yelling all the while. "Hey! Leave him alone! Give me back my guide! Rufians!" I love Hesty dearly, but she was not helpful at all in my fight against the Vikings. I mean, they were as hard as _rocks_! She didn't even make a _dent_. I quickly decided on another course of action: I threw some of my hair on the chandelier and pulled with all my might, hoping it would do what I wanted it to do.

It did. It immediately hit the Vikings' heads, and they immediately looked at me, stunned. Flynn looked pretty stunned as well, but maybe he was just resorting to his two favorite expressions (in case you forgot-annoyance and surprise). Or maybe he was astonished that a "little" girl like me was so strong. Or maybe he was surprised that his nose was still on his face. In any case, I finally had their attention. "Put him down!" I ordered, very loudly. One of the Vikings, who had a hook instead of a hand, started to walk over to me with a very large axe. Pascal, who was on my shoulder like always, gave me a look. _Better think of something fast, Rapunzel! _ Maybe the truth will work, I told him with my eyes. _You better hope it does! _

_ "_Okay," I began, nervously. "I don't know where I am, and I need _him _(I pointed at Flynn) to take me to see the lanterns because I've been dreaming about them my _entire_ life. Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a _dream_?" The Hook Viking suddenly stopped, and then began to walk toward me again. _Oh, you've done it now,_ said Pascal, who realized that I was almost cornered. I winced, and braced myself for the hit. _Well, this wasn't how I thought I would go…_

"I had a dream once." _Wait, what? _ Did Hook Viking really say what I thought he did? "Um, what?" I asked him, hoping that I had heard him right.

"I had a dream once about being a concert pianist," he told me. Suddenly, as if, encouraged by Hook Viking, all of the other Vikings started to tell their dreams to me as well:

Tor wanted to be a florist. Gruther did interior design. Ulf liked mime. Attila made cupcakes. Bruiser knit. Killer sewed. Fang did puppet shows. Vladimir collected ceramic unicorns.

Stunned by this sudden turn of events (who would have guessed that such scary men would have such…nice dreams?), I tried to politely encourage them in their endeavors. They seemed content by my enthusiasm, until they remembered Flynn (whom they had placed on a hook). "Hey, what's your dream?" they asked. I was quite curious as well. What did a thief dream about? Unsurprisingly, he didn't want to tell them. Until fifty swords were shoved in his face.

"I've got dreams like all of you, no really!" he said. "Just much less…you know, touchy feely! Most of my dreams happen somewhere warm and sunny, on an island that I own. There I would be tanned, and rested, and utterly alone…and… (he paused)..surrounded by enormous piles of money!" He beamed at us once he finished.

My jaw dropped. That was a perfectly _awful _dream! Not to mention completely shallow and stupid. I was about to tell him so, and I could tell that the Vikings were as well. However, none of were able to act on it because suddenly the door swung open by a thug. And the news he brought with him was _not _something to dream about.


	9. The Scary Tunnel and Chase

A/N: thanks a million for all the nice reviews! You guys are awesome! For your pleasure, there are two movie quotes referenced in here. Can you find them?

I know that Rapunzel doesn't have a lot of thoughts at the end of the chapter, but I figure, if I were her, I wouldn't have had much time to think.

I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 8-The Scary Tunnel and the Even More Scary Chase that Followed**_

"Okay**, **who wants to go down the creepy tunnel inside the tomb first?"

-Riley Poole in _National Treasure_

"Of the thirty-six ways of avoiding disaster, running away is best."

-Anonymous

The thug entered the room with a smug grin, delighted with his news. "I found the guards!" he said. _Guards_, I wondered. _What guards?_ However, before I had any time to speak, Flynn grabbed and thrust me beneath a nearby table. He hastily looked around the room before he joined me there. From our hiding spot, I could hear a very loud and deep voice demand, "Where's Rider? Where is he? I know he's here somewhere!" Heavy footsteps thundered on the floor of the restaurant. "Find him! Turn this place upside down if you have to!" bellowed the same voice, and a loud smack ricocheted from the top of the table.

Then, the sound of the footsteps slowly faded away. Flynn quickly peeked over the top of the table, and then, just as quickly, hid again. I glanced over at him. His eyes were wide with fear, his chest heaved with anxiety, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. _He's scared, _I thought wildly. _The audacious Flynn Rider was scared_. _I_ _can't believe it, after all we've been through, he's finally scared. _If he was scared, then I was terrified. Throughout all the other frightening events of the day, at least I could be reassured by his placidity. However, now that he was petrified, I myself was on the verge on hysterics. _What are we going to do now?_ _What if they catch him? What will happen to me?_

Unexpectedly, Hook Viking appeared. "Don't worry," he whispered. "You can escape through the tunnel." Overwhelmed with relief, Flynn and I followed him as he graciously helped us flee. He quietly showed us to the tunnel that was hidden beneath the floorboards. As we were about to depart, he kindly said, "Go. Live your dream."

Now that Flynn's escape was guaranteed, his Flynn Rider bravado reappeared. "Oh, I will," he assured the man. Hook Viking chuckled wryly. "Ha! Your dream stinks! I was talking to her!" he said, nodding at me. Flynn had no response to that, and began to climb down into the passageway. I flashed a smile at the man, relieved and grateful for all his help. 'Thank you for everything," I told him and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before I followed Flynn into the darkness of the tunnel.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Loyal listener, did you hear me mention that it was dark in there? Actually, it was more than dark. Imagine yourself being in a room completely devoid of any light whatsoever, trapped in a vortex of burning blackness, and you might get close to how dark it was. In short, it was difficult to see anything. The place was downright threatening, verging on frightening, and part of me wanted to cling to Flynn even more than was necessary (since it was so black in there, he told me to grab the back of his shirt). I didn't, because why would I want to subject myself to that fate twice in one day? Although I needed him to take me to see the lanterns, I didn't want to be a _complete_ burden.

Anyway, it was just as well in the end because he managed to stumble across a lantern (and I do mean stumble-he nearly broke the thing) and we now had some light to guide our way. However, the lanterns illumined things that I didn't really want to see. Like gigantic rats, large spiders, murky cobwebs, and skeletons with swords in their chests. The place bordered on creepy, and was only an inch away from sinister. To keep myself from screaming and screeching, I decided to make conversation with Flynn. Don't get me wrong, listener, I did not expect it to be any more fun than the last time around, but I had to do something to distract myself.

However, before I could say anything myself, he spoke up. "Well, I gotta say I didn't think you had that in you back there. That was pretty…impressive." Was he giving me a _compliment_? I beamed with pride. I was pretty pleased with myself, but for him to notice what I did? I felt ten times more satisfaction than if he hadn't. "I know!" I said gleefully. Then, realizing that I sounded a bit pompous, I said it again, but this time with a little more modesty.

He glanced over his shoulder, and flashed a quick smile at me. Was that a real smile? Had I finally gotten a real smile out of him? It was truly a lovely smile, and one that was well worth the wait. When he smiled, the cocky smugness of Flynn Rider seemed to vanish, and in its place was an amiable young man who was quite…handsome.

Encouraged, I mustered the courage to ask him a personal question. "So, Flynn, where are you from?" I asked, shyly pushing a strand of hair behind my ear. Part of me didn't think he would answer, but most of me hoped he would. _Will he answer me this time?_

He didn't. "Whoa whoa!" he exclaimed. "Sorry, Blondie. (_Rapunzel!)_ I don't do back stories." I couldn't say that I was surprised by his answer, but I was slightly disappointed. I decided to ask him something else, maybe about how he had known about The Snuggly Duckling in the first place…

"However, I am becoming very interested in yours," he said. I shot him a very surprised look. He's interested in _my_ story? Really? "Now I know I'm not supposed to mention the _hair,_" he continued.

_ That's for sure!_ "Nope," I said firmly.

"Or the mother."

_Not a chance!_ "Uh-uh."

"Frankly," he cracked, "I'm too scared to ask about the frog."

The…_frog_? I glanced over at Pascal. He scowled, indignation and disgust etched on his face. _I'm no frog_, his eyes said. _I don't do that tongue thing. _"Chameleon," I corrected.

He was completely unaffected. "Nuance. Here's my question though." He has a question for…_me_? Part of me thought about what it would be like if I refused to answer, like he did. _Hmmm._

"If you wanted to see the lanterns that badly," he asked, "why haven't you gone before?"

Completely unsure of how to answer, I glanced over at Pascal again. How should I answer that? _Well, hey, Flynn, I didn't leave my tower because people would want to use me for my magic healing hair? Care for a demonstration_? Yeah. That would go over well. Besides that, my hair was my deepest secret. Even though I was starting to like Flynn more and more, I wasn't sure I trusted him enough to tell him about it. "Ah…well…" I stammered finally.

Suddenly, a rock fell onto my head and the floor began to shake beneath my feet. Thoughts of my hair vanished, and I felt the new and increasingly familiar feeling of fear rising up in its place. "Ah…Flynn," I began nervously. I glanced behind me and immediately wished I hadn't. Twenty guards with swords and lanterns bore down on us, yelling "Rider!" at the top of their lungs. I guess we hadn't lost them after all.

My voice went up in pitch in proportion to my rising terror. "FLYNN!" He quickly looked behind us, panic now present in his eyes as well. "Run!" he told me, but my feet wouldn't move. He placed a hand on my shoulder, propelled me forward, and helped me gather up my hair in my hands. "RUN!"

I ran as fast as I could, thinking all the while- _How did they find us? How did they find us? _Eventually, we left the tunnel behind us. I remember thinking, I'm so glad _that's_ over. However, the tunnel was nothing compared to the new challenge that awaited us. Instead of a dark, gloomy tunnel, we were now at edge of a high cliff, with no apparent way down. Other precipices were everywhere, and so were old wooden beams. I glanced down, wondering what we could do to escape. Unexpectedly, two burly men with red hair burst out of one of the tunnels below us. I darted a glance at Flynn, surprised to see a mixture of recognition and dread on his face. He apparently knew who they were. It was also equally apparent that we couldn't escape that way.

"Um…who's that?" I couldn't help but ask.

He pointed a finger at them. "They don't like me," he nervously informed me.

I glanced back behind us, hoping that the guards had somehow vanished. They hadn't. In fact, because we hadn't gone anywhere, they were almost on top of us. A corner of my mind bet that Flynn knew who they were too. "Who's that?" I asked again.

"They don't like me either!" _Um, I gathered that._ A white horse raced out of the tunnel, right behind the guards. Something was different about that horse….

"Who's _that_?" I asked for the third time. He quickly turned me to face him. "Look," he said impatiently. "Let's just assume for the moment that everyone here _doesn't _like me." My eyes desperately searched for a way to escape._ The wooden beams. _Determinedly, I shoved Hesty into Flynn's hands. "Here!" I threw some of my hair around the beam, and jumped off the cliff, swinging until I had reached another rock.

From there, I saw everything that happened to Flynn. The guards continued to bear down at him, drawing their swords. One, whom I guessed to be the leader, said tauntingly "I've waited a long time for this." I nervously watched as they began to fight Flynn with their swords. _Flynn has no easy way out of this. There's so many more of them, and they have_ swords…  
However, I underestimated him. He, with Hesty's help, managed to knock all of them out. He stared at her, stunned, and then he grinned with pleasure. "Oh, Mama!" he quipped. "I have got to get me one of these! Ha!" I beamed. Hesty had finally shown him the great ferociousness of the frying pan.

The Big White Horse, on the other hand, was still ready to fight. I watched, stunned, as The Big White Horse began to fight Flynn with a sword in hits mouth. That had to be one of the strangest things I had ever seen! It was obviously strange to Flynn, too. As he fought, I heard him say, "You should know that this is the strangest thing I have ever done!" Suddenly, The Big White Horse managed to knock Hesty out of his hands, and she tumbled off to the bottom of the cliff. _Uh-oh._ He defensively held up his hands. "How about two out of three?" he suggested.

Without thinking, I threw some of my hair around one of his hands. "Flynn!" I yelled as I pulled him (by my hair) away from The Big White Horse. I did my best to keep him away from the Burly Red Men too, and fortunately managed to get him to safety. Unfortunately, safety meant that he had smashed his chest against a rock. However, it was slightly entertaining to watch as he smirked at the Burly Red Men, shouting "You should see your faces! Because you look (smash) ridiculous." Flynn Rider, I decided, had a quip for _everything_, even when he himself looked silly.

Just then, The Big White Horse beat down a wooden pole and I quickly realized that he would be able to get to me by walking across the pole. _Oh no, _I panicked. _What will I do now?_ Thankfully, Flynn had noticed my predicament. "Jump, Blondie! Jump!" I immediately took his advice and jumped, seconds before The Big White Horse reached me. In fact, I barely made it. His teeth had almost caught my hair.

Now, loyal listener, most animals here would have given up the fight. But not the Big White Horse. No, he had tenacity from the tips of his ears to the end of his tail. He began to kick down the wooden poles that held up tons and tons of water. And a very large stone pillar. As soon as I reached the ground, I ran as fast as I could to escape both. I headed for the tunnel that the Burly Red Men had exited, hoping that I would make it. I didn't see what happened to Flynn, but I felt something pull on my hair, and I figured that he had gathered some of it to help me. He managed to rescue Hesty as well (what a guy!). We both raced to the tunnel, instants before the pillar blocked the entrance. I let out a deep breath. We were safe. For the moment.


	10. The Almost Drowning

A/N: Okay, I know this chapter is on the short side, but I really wanted the campfire scene to be it's own chapter. And I cannot wait to write that part! It's one of my favorite parts of the entire movie. I enjoyed writing this part a lot, and I hope you enjoy reading it!

As always thank you for reading/reviewing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 9-The Almost Drowning  
**_

_"Great perils have this beauty: that they bring to light the fraternity of strangers."_  
_-Victor Hugo_

The relief I felt at escaping both our pursuers and the stone pillar lasted mere seconds. Because The Big White Horse had successfully knocked down the beams that held the dam, water began to rush into the tunnel around the pillar. Flynn and I heard the rustling of the water, and we both glanced behind us. Water was rapidly rising up, and if we didn't get out soon, we would be overwhelmed by it. We ran further into the tunnel, hoping that we would find some way to escape.

However, all we could find was a very stony dead end (yeah, funny how that _almost_ came true). Flynn immediately dived into the mounting water, and I assumed he was searching for a way out. Meanwhile, I futilely tried to find some kind of weakness or soft spot somewhere in the stone wall. I remembered my trusty Hesty, and hit the rocks with her, hoping that she would able to make a dent. Dear listener, I should have known better. I mean, if Hesty couldn't make a dent in a Viking, then there was no chance that she would be able to make a hole in an even harder stone wall. But I still kept trying, with all my might, to make some sort of progress.

Flynn resurfaced, and pounded the stone walls with his hands, searching for the same kind of weakness as I. I heard him cry out in pain as he scratched his hand, and I thought briefly, that if the circumstances weren't as dire as they were, I would have offered to heal it for him. Even though he had hurt his hand, he dove back into the water. Impressed by his persistence, I continued to hit Hesty against the rocks. _If he wasn't giving up, then neither am I._ After a long moment, he resurfaced again, this time completely subdued. "It's no use," he told me as he rubbed his hand across his eyes. "I can't see anything."

Unwilling to concede defeat, I took a deep breath and plunged into the icy water. You know, listener, it's actually interesting now to think I actually believed that I could see something when Flynn could not. I mean, I hadn't even swum before! But I was desperate. Anyway, I had probably only dived down about two inches before very strong arms pulled me back up. Once I reached the surface (which wasn't that much; the water was almost to our chests), Flynn turned me to face him, and pushed a lock of hair out of my eyes. "Hey, there's no point! It's pitch black down there," he informed me.

Now I was the one who was completely subdued. For the first time, I realized that there was absolutely no escape for us, no chance at finding a way out. We were going to drown in this tunnel. _Out of all the possible ways to die_, I thought, _I didn't think the way I would go would be drowning in a tunnel. _I wondered what it will be like to drown. I hoped it wouldn't be painful. A painful death sounded terrible to me. Suddenly realizing that I was living my last moments on earth, I decided to make a final list of acknowledgments to the people I loved:

_To my dearest and oldest friend, Pascal- Thank you for being my constant friend and companion. I would have been so lonely in the tower without you. And I'm sorry you're going to have to die with me._

_To my trusty weapon, Hesty- Thank you being such a great defender and assisting me in this journey. I never could have captured Flynn without you…._

FLYNN! All of a sudden, I felt even worse than I had before. Not only had I dragged myself into this mess, but I had also had brought Flynn down with me. If I hadn't persuaded him to take me to see the lanterns, he'd probably be safe somewhere. Oh, why hadn't I listened to my mother!

I forced back a sob. "This is all my fault," I said tearfully. "She was right. I never should have left home." Now I couldn't hold back the tears any longer and I began to cry even harder than I had earlier that day. I pressed a hand to my face, determined that the least I could do was apologize to Flynn for getting him into this. "I'm so…I'm so sorry, Flynn," I managed to choke out before I finally succumbed to my tears.

I heard him sigh. "Eugene." Completely confused, I stopped crying. _Who on earth is Eugene?_ "What?" I asked as I looked over at him. He seemed fairly calm for someone who was about to drown. I almost wished that I could face our fate as peacefully as he was.

"My real name is Eugene Fitzherbert," he confided. "Someone might as well know." _Someone might as well know- because we're about to die,_ I finished in my head. Touched that he trusted me enough to tell me his true name, I couldn't help a smile. Since we're going to drown, I decided, I might as well tell him my secret too. It's not like he would ever be able to tell anyone. "I have magic hair that glows when I sing," I told him.

He looked even more surprised at my secret than I had at his. "What?"

Suddenly, my thoughts turned in a new direction besides resignation. _If I can get my hair to light up, maybe we would be able to find a way out of here. _"I have…magic hair that glows when I sing!" I repeated, this time with hope in my voice.

The water was almost to our necks now, and I took a deep breath and shut my eyes before I started singing the incantation. "Flower gleam and glow, let your power shine….." The water quickly rushed over our heads, and I desperately hoped that I had sung enough to make my hair light up.

I had. My hair glowed, and I opened my eyes again (just in time to see a very shocked looking Flynn put a hand to his mouth). I searched all through the water, hoping to see something that looked like a way out. At the very bottom I saw some loose rocks. I darted a glance at Flynn, hoping he had seen it too. He had, and dove quickly down to the bottom. I followed (after making sure I had both Hesty and Pascal), and helped him pull the rocks apart. Hand over hand, we both ripped the rocks apart, hoping that we would find a way out.

Flynn's (No, _not_ Flynn; he was Eugene now) hand was the first to clutch air. We tumbled headfirst into what appeared to be a river and as soon as we could, I followed him as he made his way to the shore.

Once we made it to the shore, I took a deep gulp of air. My lungs felt like they were about to explode from holding my breath so long, and I was overcome by a coughing fit. When it was over, I was happy to find that the four of us were safe and very much alive. "We made it," I said relieved.

Since we were safe now, Eugene expressed his incredulity in regard to my hair. "Her hair glows," he said with wide eyes.

Overwhelmed with the joy of life, I couldn't help but say happily, "We're alive! We're alive!" I bounded out of the river (Hesty in my hands), ecstatically taking in all the wonderful aspects of nature I thought I would never see again- beautiful trees, lush grass. I took a deep breath, wanting to soak it all in.

"I didn't see that coming," I heard Eugene say ruefully.

_If I didn't know better,_ I thought, _I would say he was almost on the verge of…panic_. No, _beyond_ panic. I needed to stop him from completely losing it. "Eugene," I said, attempting to get his attention.

I didn't. He was still stuck on my hair. "The hair actually glows," he said to Pascal. Dear listener, that's when I knew I had to get his attention_ now_. Since when did he pay any attention to Pascal? Usually he treated my chameleon with calm indifference. "Eugene," I repeated.

"Why does her hair glow?" he asked Pascal, now completely hysterical_. _

_Uh-oh, better hope he hears you this time, Rapunzel. There's no way he would talk to Pascal if he was totally sane. _"Eu-gene!" I said, _very_ loudly this time.

Finally, he heard me. "What?"

Now that I had his attention I wasn't sure what to do with it. Should I tell him that my hair could heal? Since we had a near-death experience, I realized that I did trust him enough to tell him about my hair's powers. He had shown that he trusted_ me_ enough to tell me his real name. I know that his birth name shouldn't be that earth-shattering, but I knew (in his case) that it was. I could tell that the audacious Flynn Rider wouldn't want people to know his name was something as nerdy as Eugene. That would ruin his whole image. Can you imagine a great thief being called _Eugene_? Of course not. I mean, what would people say, "Oh, watch out for that bandit named…Eugene?" Yeah. I can see why he changed his name.

However, I also found that Eugene fit the image of him that I had in my head- the nice young man who complimented me, and who cared about my feelings when I had first left my tower. Yes, I finally decided. I was going to tell Eugene about my hair.

"It doesn't just glow," I told him finally, as I pulled my hair out of the river.

He darted a glance toward me, and then toward Pascal, holding his hand all the while. _I'd better heal that. _"Why's he smiling at me?" he said.

_Oh, Pascal,_ I thought fondly with a sigh_, don't torment him._ _He's going to have enough to deal with when I finally heal his hand. _A corner of me wondered what his reaction would be when I did heal him_. This is going to be _very _interesting…. _


	11. The Campfire Confessions

A/N: The long-awaited campfire scene! I'm not going to lie and say that this chapter was easy to write, because it wasn't. I did enjoy writing it though, and I hope I have done...some justice to the scene in the movie.

Thanks a million to my loyal readers and reviewers! You guys are awesome!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled

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_**Chapter 10- The Campfire Confessions **_

_"What is love? Love is when one person knows all of your secrets... your deepest, darkest, most dreadful secrets of which no one else in the world knows... and yet in the end, that one person does not think any less of you; even if the rest of the world does."_

_-Unknown_

By the time Eugene and I had stumbled out of the river, the sun had sunken deep into the sky. I asked him if we should keep walking, but he told me that it would be better to make camp for the night and set out for the capital early the next morning. Plus, he firmly informed me that he had no interest in trudging along in the dark, soaking wet. I agreed, and we walked a little further to search for a suitable camping spot.

Once Eugene found one that satisfied him (sometimes the grass was too hard. Other times it was too soft. And on and on and on. Honestly, I'm surprised I didn't threaten him with Hesty until he let _me_ pick the spot), we settled down for the night. We both collected kindling (and berries to eat for dinner), along with stones to make a ring. Then he attempted multiple times to make a fire, growling each time he failed to light it. I would have laughed at him (who knew he could be so amusing when he was annoyed?), but he was frustrated enough. Plus, I knew his hand was still bothering him, even though he wouldn't admit as much to me. Finally, he managed to start one.

Completely smug with his victory, he turned to where I sat on a log. "See, I _told _you I could do it, Blondie. Never underestimate the power of Flynn Rider!"

_Flynn Rider? I thought you were Eugene Fitzherbert. _I decided not to say that, though. I had dilly-dallied long enough since our unexpected swim in the river. I was going to heal his hand now, and I needed him to be as calm as possible before I did it. "Yes, I see. Very good," I said. I searched his face for any signs of panic. Seeing none, I hesitantly continued. "Um, so do you remember what I said about my hair? About it being magical? "

He shot me an incredulous look. "Of course I do! I never forget anything."

"And you remember….that I said…it doesn't just glow?" I asked carefully.

He gave me another surprised look. "Yes. And I'm still waiting for you to explain what you mean by that." Suddenly horror crossed his face. "Oh no," he moaned. "You're not going to tell me that it can light a fire, are you? Because you should have told me that before I…."

I interrupted him mid-sentence, even though I hated interrupting people as much as I hated being interrupted myself. "No, no! It can't light a fire. But it can do something else." I watched his face again, hoping that he wouldn't start panicking again.

He wasn't. Instead of being nervous, he decided to play his "Let's See How Much We Can Tease Blondie Before She Turns Red" game. "Oh, you mean it can do something more than be a big lantern?" he cracked, "because, you know…."

_ Enough already! _"Eugene," I said, exasperated. "Just get over here, and I'll show you okay?"

He stared at me, looking somewhat surprised at my tone. "Yeah, sure, Blondie," he said as he walked over and sat next to me on the log.

I took a deep breath. _Just relax, Rapunzel. Everything will be fine._ "Okay, so remember when you told me 'don't ask questions' today?" I asked, watching his (very nice) hazel eyes for any sign of alarm.

Yet another incredulous look. "Of course! Like I said, Flynn Rider…"

"….never forgets anything," I finished. _You're not making this any easier for me, you know. _"Right. I got it. Well, I need _you_ to not ask _me _questions right now, okay?"

His mouth dropped open. "Well, sure, Blondie."

I sighed, relieved. _Finally._ "Great. So can I have your injured hand, please?"

He looked as stunned as he had when I asked him what he wanted with my hair back in the tower. "My…_what?"_

_Come on, Eugene. Just let me do this. _"Your injured hand. I need it to show you what my hair does besides glow," I requested as politely as I could.

He continued to look flabbergasted. "Um….Well, okay," he said finally as he extended his hand out to me.

I cautiously took it and began to wrap the end of my hair around it, all the while trying to ignore the butterflies that had entered my stomach as soon as I had taken his hand in my own. _You're just nervous about healing it,_ I told myself. _It has absolutely nothing to do with holding his hand_. "Thank you." I peered carefully at his scratch. It wasn't too bad, and the blood had stopped quite a while ago. I could see the beginning of an infection, though, so I would need to fix that too.

Silence descended for a few moments. And it was not one a pleasant silence, let me tell you. I was overwhelmed with nerves, and he kept opening his mouth as if to ask me something, and then changed his mind. Finally, he must not have been able to stand it anymore.

"So," he said. "You're being strangely cryptic as you wrap your magic hair around my injured hand." I must have rubbed my hair wrong because he winced.

"Sorry," I apologized. _Okay, Rapunzel, it's time._ "Don't …freak out, okay?" I said.

He glanced over at me with a look that clearly said why would I freak out? _Yeah, sure. I so don't believe you. _ I shut my eyes, and prepared myself for the healing. Dear listener, I'm sure you've heard in other tellings of my tale that my hair does all the work or other fiddle-faddle like it. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, without the hair, I would not be able to heal anyone, and yes, I was grateful to my hair. But I was the one who had to control it and tell it what I wanted it to do. And to heal Eugene's hand, there were three steps that I had to complete. First, I had to sing the incantation to awaken the magic. Secondly, I had to heal the wound itself. And third, I had to envision the scratch never happening so his hand would bear no mark. Sounds easy? Well, it's not. And it was actually the most complicated healing I had done in a while. Usually, I only had to make my mother younger, and let me tell you, after doing it at least a hundred thousand times, it was very easy.

Anyway, I closed my eyes in concentration and began to sing the healing song my mother had taught me:

_Flower gleam and glow_

_Let your power shine_

_Make the clock reverse_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the fate's design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what was once was mine_

_What once was mine_

While I sang the song, I told my hair to heal the scratch. _Heal the hand, oh my hair, make it whole once more_. I also imagined, in my mind's eye, when he had hurt it in the tunnel and I envisioned instead that he had continued to pound the rocks without any interruption. Finally, when I felt that his hand was whole once more, I opened my eyes, bracing myself for his reaction. Cautiously, I raised my eyes to meet his.

He seemed slightly bewildered, and so he removed his hand from mine and slowly removed my hair from his hand. Suddenly his eyes widened as he saw his hand. I briefly caught a glimpse of it, and it looked like nothing had ever happened. _Well done, Rapunzel! _ However, I couldn't completely relish my success, because Eugene's eyes were popping out of his head, and his mouth was open as if he was going to scream. He looked so panicked that it made his hysterics at seeing my hair glow look like peanuts.

_I have to put a stop to this. _"Please, don't freak out!" I pleaded. Instantly, the scream died in his throat, and he crossed his arms in fake nonchalance. He managed a small grin, as he said, "I'm not freaking out, are you freaking out?" _No, of course not, you noodle head_, I thought affectionately (wait, _what_?). _I do this almost every day._ "I'm just interested in your hair and the uh…._magical_ qualities that it possesses. How long has it being doing that, exactly?"' he squeaked out.

Relieved that he was calm once more, I managed a slight smile and shrug. "Um…forever, I guess?" I said. Then, I remembered the story my mother had told me about what had happened to me as a baby, and the smile vanished from my face_. Sometimes, dear hair, you are more trouble than you're worth. _I sighed deeply, as I decided how much I was going to tell Eugene. All of it, I concluded. Why not? He was almost a friend to me, and maybe even…

"Mother says that when I was a baby, people tried to cut it. They wanted to take it for themselves," I said as I gently moved my hair to show Eugene the one stubby strand of brown in seventy feet of blonde hair. "But once it's cut," I continued, "it turns brown and loses its power." Most of the time I didn't recollect who cut it at all. But sometimes, in the darkness of night and of my own mind, I could remember being in somebody's arms, screaming in terror. I always supposed it was whoever tried to cut my hair. I stroked my hair as I also recalled all my mother's warnings- _People will use you for your hair. They will lock you up to make themselves healthy forever. You have to stay in this tower where you will be safe. _"A gift like that…" I said finally. "It has to be protected. That's why Mother never let me…" Words began to die in my throat. How did a person explain something like this? I sighed and tried again. "That's why I never left and…" I tried to meet his eyes, but I couldn't and stared down at my hands. Why was it so difficult to tell him this? It's almost like I ripped out my soul and placed it in his hands, hoping he wouldn't break it.

"That's why you never left that tower," he finished. I managed to meet his eyes again, and was surprised to see only deep compassion there. My heart skipped a beat. "And you're still going to go back?" he asked gently.

Was I going to go back? After I had tasted the sweetness of freedom? "No!" I said firmly. Then I remembered my mother and her warnings. "Yes!" Did I really want to stay in that tower the rest of my life? "It's complicated," I managed to say before I buried my face in my hands. What _was_ I going to do after we had seen the lanterns? Pascal, who was by my feet, placed his head on my leg, as if to comfort me. I peeked through my fingers at Eugene. There was still nothing but sympathy in his hazel eyes. My heart skipped another beat. Was his name really _Eugene_? I ran my hands through my hair and sighed.

"So," I asked coyly. "Eugene Fitzherbert, huh?"

He smiled. "Yeah. But I'll save you the sob story of poor orphan Eugene Fitzherbert." He looked away from me then, but I thought I detected a hint of sadness in his eyes. "It's a little…well, it's a little bit of a downer."

Downer or not, I wanted to know. Actually, dear listener, I wanted to know everything I could about him because I was starting to fall in love with him (but of course I didn't know that then). I scouted closer to him on the log, and curiously looked at him again, my chin propped up in my hands.

He seemed to find my interest amusing and chuckled. "There was this book," he said. "A book I used to read to all the younger kids- _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider_." I imagined a young Eugene reading to the other orphans, and I loved it. I bet he would make great voices for the characters and make all the kids laugh.

"Swash-buckling rogue," he continued. "Richest man alive. Not bad with the ladies either." He looked significantly at me as he stroked his chin. "Not that he'd ever brag about it, or course."

I smiled at him. I liked this side of him. A lot. In fact, when he was Eugene, I almost forgot he was also the wanted thief named Flynn Rider. "Hmmm. Was he a thief, too?" I asked meaningfully.

He seemed thrown by my question and looked away from me again. "Ah, well no," he answered at last, meeting my eyes with his own. "Actually, he had enough money to do anything that he wanted to do, he could go anywhere that he wanted to go." He glanced down at his hands. "And, and, for a kid with nothing. I don't know, it just seemed like the better option," he finished, almost to himself.

Now I was the one with sympathy in my eyes. I could tell that his past was not something he talked about often. Or, at all, for that matter. I felt strangely honored that he felt comfortable enough with me to talk about it. And I also felt rather sorry that desperation led him to a life of thievery. Didn't he know that money would never bring him the things that would truly make him happy? It would never bring his family back, for one thing. But I didn't say that. "Hmmm," I said instead.

"You can't tell anyone about this, okay?" he said quickly. "It could ruin my whole reputation."

Ah, yes, his reputation as the conniving bandit Flynn Rider. Indeed, an orphan named Eugene Fitzherbert who read books to his fellow orphans _would_ ruin his reputation. Among his fellow thieves, that is. But for me? His repute improved the more I heard about _Eugene_. "Ah, well, we wouldn't want that!" I teased.

"Well, a fake reputation is all a man has," he joked back.

I laughed, even though I thought he had so much more than a fake reputation. I felt his gaze on me, and I looked back at him with a smile in my eyes. He seemed to have enjoyed our conversation as much as I had, and was that….a_ffection_ for me I saw in his hazel eyes? My heart skipped three beats. Was he starting to…._like_ me?

He suddenly stood up, breaking the moment. "Um, well, I should, uh," he stammered nervously. _Had his heart missed a beat, too? "_I should go get some more firewood," he said, and began to start walking away from me.

I couldn't let him walk away without something being said, even if it was me who said it. "Hey."

He turned around and glanced at me. What should I say to tell him that I enjoyed our talk so, and I thought Eugene Fitzherbert was a much greater person than Flynn Rider? "For the record," I said, "I like Eugene Fitzherbert_ much_ better than Flynn Rider."

He seemed to be very surprised by my words, and touched the hand that I had healed. _Didn't anyone he knew care about the poor, lonely orphan boy buried deep within him_? "Well, you'd be the first," he said, and I heard a twinge of sadness in his voice. "But thank you." He turned and walked away then.

But I felt glad that I had told him what I thought. I smiled as I watched him go further into the woods._ You know,_ I thought, _I'm becoming….quite_ fond_ of Eugene Fitzherbert._

Just then, a voice broke through the silence. A voice that I had almost forgotten. And a voice that I had not wanted to hear.


	12. The Two Very Different Mothers

A/N: four things:

1. Can I just say how much I loathe Mother Gothel? I hated writing her in this chapter, and I hate writing her period. She's such pond scum. And the scum of the earth. And then just generally scummy (Paraphrased from Snail Mail No More). She's such a manipulative you know what. And if I had my way, she would have died a much more gruesome and painful death than falling out of a tower. I'm just saying.

2. Okay, so I know there's not much...Flynn Rider in this chapter. But there's plenty of Eugene, and this is (part of) the history that I imagined him to have. And I would have been very sad if I didn't actually write it down because I like it. You know what's funny? I love Eugene almost as much as Rapunzel if not more. Now, who would have guessed that when I first started writing this story? Not me. It's like his history is just calling out to me, begging to be told. Makes me feel like a real writer.

3. You know what's also funny? I get all my best ideas for this story either in the middle of the night or in the shower. Now how weird is that?

4. Thanks again to my loyal readers/reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled

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_**Chapter 11- The Two (Very) Different Mothers**_

"The remembrance of a beloved mother becomes a shadow to all our actions; it precedes or follows them"

-Unknown

"A boy's best friend is his mother."  
- Joseph Stefano

My mother's voice broke through the stillness of the night. "Well! I'd thought he'd never leave." My eyes widened in horror. "Mother?" I whispered as I glanced behind me. Was that really my mother?

It was indeed-all five feet five inches of her, cloaked imperially in her long black cloak. "Hello, dear," she said calmly. _Uh-oh, _I thought,_ she is _not_ going to be pleased that I left the tower. At all. _Dread paralyzed me with its heavy weight on me, but I made myself get up and walk over to her. "But, but I don't…." I stammered. How on earth did she find me? It's not like we broke branches to let her know which way to go. Plus, wasn't she supposed to be off looking for my birthday present? "How did you find me?" I asked.

She wrapped her arms around me in what felt like a suffocating embrace, and stroked my hair. "Oh, it was easy really," she said. "I just listened for the sound of complete and utter betrayal and followed that."

I sighed. That was an explanation that was no explanation at all. However, I was not about to repeat the question. My mother appeared to be calm on the surface, but I knew she was likely seething underneath. Guilt for deceiving my mother added itself to the dread that I already felt. "Mother…" I began as I stepped out of her embrace.

She interrupted me and began to drag me away from the campfire. Loyal listener, any guilt I felt somewhat vanished then. If there was one thing that my mother did that completely infuriated me, it was her constant interrupting when I tried to tell her something. Seriously. Couldn't she just let me talk? "We're going home, Rapunzel," she told me sternly. "Now!"

I broke away from her, firmly placing my feet on the grass. Irritation at her interrupting filled me, along with the determination to stay with Eugene and see the lanterns. I didn't want go home with her. Not yet, not when I was so close to finally seeing my dream! And not when I was learning so much about the world around me. I couldn't just pack up and go home. I just couldn't! "You...you don't understand," I said. "I've been on this _incredible_ journey and I've seen and learned so much!" Suddenly, I remembered the expression in Eugene's eyes during our conversation. I couldn't leave _him_ yet, either. Not when he was becoming such a special friend to me…not when I yearned to learn more about him. "I-I even…meet someone," I finished shyly.

She smiled, but I could see right through it. Fake pleasure oozed from her. "Oh yes," she said sarcastically. "The wanted thief. I'm _so _proud." How on earth did she know that? Was she _spying_ on me or something? "Come on, Rapunzel." She grabbed my arm again, dragging me further into the forest. And further away from Eugene.

I mustered all my strength and pulled away from her. "Mother…wait," I said. "I think…." His expression after our conversation filled my mind. "I think he…likes me." _And I think…I might like him too_, I finished in my head.

Mother scoffed at me, scornfully. "_Likes _you?" she repeated incredulously. "Please, Rapunzel. That's demented." I winced inwardly, somewhat hurt by being called demented. I'm nothing of the sort! If I was so…_demented_, then Eugene and I would have been beat back at The Snuggly Duckling. Not to mention captured by the guards. I opened my mouth, about to say as much to her.

However, dear listener, she was not finished with her condescending remarks. Oh no, not even close. "This is why you never should have left," she continued. "Dear, this whole…_romance _that you've invented just proves you're too naïve to be here." Irritation filled my veins. I had invented nothing! Could I have made him look at me the way he had? Not a chance! I opened my mouth again in protest.

"Why would he like you?" my mother asked. By the way, listener, I never actually outright argued with her, but boy did I in my head. _Why wouldn't he like me, Mother?_ "Come on, now really." She scooped up some of my hair in her hands and shoved it in my face. "Look at you! You think that he's impressed?" I knew what the implication was-look at you, with your seventy feet of glowing hair, why would he want to be with someone that strange- and I resented it_. You don't have any hesitations about using my glowing hair for yourself, Mother. _

"Don't be a dummy," she coaxed. "Come with your mummy back home. I know best!"

I channeled all my irritation, resentment, and frustration into one word. "No!"

She looked completely shocked at my resistance. "No?" she repeated. Then a knowing gleam appeared in her eyes. "Oh, I see how it is. Now that you've had this….incredible journey…you're so grown up and mature now, you think you know everything." She condescendingly patted my head, like I was a young child. "You're _such_ a clever grown up little miss!"

I began to say that I didn't think I knew everything just because I had left the tower and I didn't appreciate her degrading remarks, but she never gave me a chance. "Fine, if you're so sure of this…_romance_, then give him this!" she said. She pulled out Eugene's satchel from her cloak.

Stunned, I couldn't help but ask, "How did you…" How did she find that? Better still, why did she bring it with her?

She thrust out the golden, glimmering crown. "_This_ is why he's here with you! He just wants his precious _crown._ Don't let him deceive you into thinking otherwise," she said menacingly. She tossed both the satchel and crown into my hands. I caught them carefully, especially the crown. I didn't want it to break-it looked so beautiful and shiny in the moonlight.

Mother wasn't done with her threats. "Give it to him, watch and you'll see!"

Since I was still irritated with Mother, I immediately jumped to Eugene's defense. "Fine, I will!" I said defiantly.

She found my defiance amusing. "Ha, Rapunzel," she laughed callously. "Just watch! Trust me, dear. As soon as you give it to him, he'll be gone as fast as you can say 'floating lights'."

I couldn't help but retort, "Floating lights! Oh, look, he's still here," I smiled smugly.

Her eyes narrowed. "You always _were_ such a child." She put a hand under my chin and drew me toward her. "No, my pet, he'll leave you as soon as you give it to him. And since he's such a complete _dreamboat_, test him by giving it to him."

Me? A _child? _Her_ pet?_ I was eighteen years old, almost completely independent. How often did she actually help me do anything? I couldn't remember the last time I had to ask for assistance. Rebellion filled me my veins. "Oh, I will, Mother. You can be sure of that," I assured her.

She let out another cold laugh and pulled away from me. "You do that, Rapunzel. And when, not if, but _when_ he leaves you, I won't say I told you so," she said as she began to walk away.

Although I was exasperated with Mother, I couldn't let her leave with such heated words between us. "Mother, wait!" I pleaded. _Couldn't we work this out?_

She smiled at me gravely. "No, Rapunzel. You have made your choice." Then she turned and disappeared into the darkness of the night.

The darkness of the night was now matched in my darkness of own mind. I stared down at the satchel and crown, pondering what Mother had said. Could it be true? Could he just be faking everything so he could get his crown? I had put up a brave front for Mother, yes, but honestly? I _wasn't_ sure if he was being completely sincere. He seemed like two different people to me, and maybe that was, in fact, an indication that he was a fake and a liar in addition to being a thief. How did I know that Eugene Fitzherbert wasn't just an act?

Fear clutched my heart like a cold fist. Without thinking, I hastily hid both the satchel and the crown in a hollowed out tree stump. He couldn't leave me if he didn't know I had them. And I realized that I didn't _want_ him to leave me either. I was enjoying our time together too much to wish he _would_ leave.

A twig snapped. "So, can I ask you something?" It was him, back from collecting firewood. _What do I do now? _"Is there any chance that I'm going to get super-strength in my hand? Because I'm not going to lie-_that_ would be stupendous." I almost managed a small smile. That was him all right, always cracking some kind of joke. Could I bear it if he did leave me? Any words of response died in my throat.

"Hey. You all right?" he asked. I didn't know what to say for a minute. What should I say? No, I'm not all right? My mother thinks that you're just faking an attachment to me to secure your crown? But even if you're faking, I'm not and my heart is deeply drawn to yours? No, not happening. Not a chance.

I glanced over my shoulder at him. He _looked _concerned enough, but maybe that was because he didn't want to drop any of the wood. "Oh. Sorry," I managed to say. "Yes." _Liar! "_I'm all right." _No, I'm not!_ "Just…lost in thought, I guess." Well, that was true at least.

He shrugged as he began to throw more wood into the fire. "I mean, because here's the thing," he continued. "Superhuman good looks…I've always had them. Born with it. But superhuman strength? Can you imagine the _possibilities_?"

Dear listener, I have to tell you that I must have looked blankly at him for a second because what he said didn't register at all. My mother's warnings kept repeating themselves over and over, and I couldn't think of anything else. And even when I could think of something else, my brain was still stuck on my mother. And that's really the only way I would have said what I said next. My mind was a million miles away, and I wasn't totally thinking.

"Yes, superhuman good looks. And did those come from your mother or your father or both?" I asked absently.

He stopped throwing wood into the fire and stared at me. "_What?_"

Suddenly I realized what I had said, and sat heavily onto the log. _Idiot! You just asked him more about his past! _I covered my mouth with my hand. "I'm sorry! I wasn't thinking," I apologized. "You….you don't have to answer that if…if you don't want to."

He continued to stare at me, with a twinge of distress in his eyes. All my mother's warnings flew out of my head. Either he was a fantastic actor, or he had told me the truth before about being Eugene Fitzherbert. Because if he wasn't, why would he have looked as disturbed as he did?

I continued to glance at him, feeling full of remorse. "I'm sorry, Eugene," I apologized again. "Like I said, you don't…"

He held up a hand to stop me. "No," he said, his gaze now fixed on the glowing fire. "I'll answer it."

I was surprised that he was going to answer my question, because I knew, for him, my question was about much more than just simple genetics. It was about his parents' very identity. I whispered "Okay," and decided to keep silent until he spoke. I carefully folded my hands in my lap, trying to keep still.

"Most of my looks," he said at last, "came from my mother. My father….was never part of the picture, but my mother always told me that I had his eyes."

More regret filled me. How could I have asked him something like that so thoughtlessly? Pain was in ever single syllable that he said. "I'm so sorry," I said again.

Suddenly, his gaze went from the fire to me. "Do you…would you like to hear about her?" he asked slowly.

Would I! "I would love to," I said quietly.

He smiled sadly. "You would have liked her. She was always so happy, full of sunshine and light. Most of the time she was...more of a playmate than a mother. She was so full of spirit, and she was smart too. And I knew she loved me." Suddenly his gaze sharpened on me. "She was actually…a little like you."

Now, dear listener, most of the time if a man tells you that you remind him of his mother it isn't a good thing. But in Eugene's case? It was a compliment to me of the highest order. I felt warmed from the inside out and all of what my mother had said left my mind. "Thank you," I said. "What…what happened to her?"

The smile vanished from his face and he stared into the fire once more. "She, she…died when I was eleven. Consumption."

Consumption! Sadness filled me. Consumption was a perfectly dreadful disease-one that was very contagious and had no cure. "I'm so sorry," I whispered.

He looked back up at me, and I could see the sorrow in his eyes. "Thank you," he said. He blinked suddenly, and I could tell that Eugene was gone for the moment, and Flynn Rider was back. "Right. So, Rap…._Blondie_, we'd better get some sleep if we're going to see the town tomorrow," he told me.

I sighed. I hadn't missed Flynn Rider all that much. Or being called Blondie either. "Sure," I agreed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

We both found a place to rest our heads, and said goodnight. Eugene went to sleep immediately, and I could hear him snore softly. I, however, was much too keyed up to fall asleep. I lay on my back and stared up at the sky, thinking about what he had told me about himself and his mother. She sounded like a wonderful person, and I wish I could have known her. And I could tell that he loved her dearly. I swallowed a small laugh. Who would have guessed somebody like Flynn Rider would be such a mama's boy? Of course, I reminded myself, to me he would never only be Flynn Rider. To me, most of the time he was the sweet orphan boy named Eugene. With that thought, I drifted peacefully off to sleep.


	13. The Return of the Big White Horse

A/N: I'm glad that you somewhat liked my addition of Eugene's mother. She will appear again, and I even have a name for her now. (yay!)

I know this chapter is on the short side too, but I really liked it and wanted to post it today. So there you go.

Many thanks to you all for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled

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_**Chapter 12-The Return of the Big White Horse**_

"Flattery will get you everywhere."

-Common saying

Contrary to my own expectations, I actually slept quite well that night. I anticipated waking up often because I was sleeping in a new place, but I didn't. Instead of tossing and turning all night, I dreamed peacefully about a small brown-haired boy, and his beautiful mother (funny how that boy looked a lot like a young Eugene).

I slept so soundly that it was even more startling to be woken up by a loud screech: "AHHHH!"

Instantly alarmed, I jumped to my feet just in time to see a very nervous looking Eugene being dragged away by The Big White Horse. For a moment, I just stood there, stunned. _This has to be the strangest horse that ever existed in the history of the world._ I likely would have continued to stand there,(because seriously? Could there ever be another horse like that? Even you, dear listener, would have been flabbergasted by that horse), completely bewildered, but I heard Eugene pleading with The Big White Horse, and I knew I needed to help. So I quickly caught up with them, and began to pull Eugene away from the horse.

"Give (grunt) me (grunt) him (grunt) back!" I demanded as I tugged Eugene away from the horse with all my strength. It took quite a lot of effort (and I secretly thanked Mother for all the times I had to pull her up) but eventually I managed to free Eugene (well, all of him except one of his brown boots. The horse managed to hang on to that). Unfortunately, freeing him meant that we both flew away from the horse, and hit the ground hard. The wind was knocked out both of us for a minute. _Ohhhhhh, that hurt._

Do you remember that I told you that this horse possessed tenacity in spades? Well, he wasn't about to give Eugene up, and began to charge at us once more. By that time, the breath had returned to my lungs, and I leaped up again. "Whoa! Whoa!" I said repeatedly in an attempt to both calm the horse and keep him away from Eugene. The Big White Horse (or the BWH as he will be known hereafter) was in no mood for calmness. Oh no, he kept rearing and running at Eugene. But as relentless as this horse was, he was no match for me. I persistently tried to calm him down, and finally he stopped trying to make mincemeat out of Eugene.

"That's it," I encouraged when the horse at last stayed still for more than a minute. "Now, sit," I ordered. The BWH shook his head. "Sit," I repeated more sternly. He finally obeyed and sat down reluctantly.

"_What?"_ said a very incredulous Eugene from behind me. Obviously, talking to the BWH had never occurred to him. "Now drop the boot," I commanded. The horse shook his head again. "_Drop it_," I insisted. He dropped the boot, but by his demeanor I could tell that he was not pleased. _I'm only obeying you because I'm such a gentlemen of a horse_, his eyes said. Delighted I walked over to the horse, and stroked his nose gently. "Aw, you're such a good boy," I said. The BWH's tail began to thump in pleasure. _Why, he's nothing but a big softie, just like the Vikings! All he wants is somebody to understand and appreciate him. _"You tired from chasing that bad man all over the place?" I asked the BWH. He nickered in agreement.

"_Excuse_ me?" said Eugene indignantly. _Eugene,_ I thought, _I'm trying to get this horse to stop trying to take a bite out of you and you are so not helping_. _Of course I don't think you're a bad man. _I gave the BWH a hug. "Nobody appreciates you, do they?" I asked. "Do they?" He blew out a deep breath, as if to say no one does at all, and put his finely shaped head over my shoulder.

"He's a bad horse!" said Eugene as he pulled on his boot (the boot that_ I_ had rescued, to be accurate). _Eugene, I like you and everything, but please stop talking_. "Oh, he's nothing but a big sweetheart!" I told him. The BWH whinnied, as if to say now you've got it right. "Isn't that right?" I decided right then and there that I liked the BWH, no matter how much he had chased us. He seemed like such a nice horse beneath it all. I wonder if he had a name. Obviously his owners didn't call him The Big White Horse. I mean, it is quite a mouthful. I pulled away from the horse for a second, searching for some sort of nameplate. It didn't take me long to find one-Maximus it read. Maximus! How very appropriate for such a magnanimous horse. "_Maximus_?" I said to the horse, as I scratched under his chin. Maximus whickered again, in complete bliss.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," said Eugene, crossing his arms across his chest. I ignored him (like I did the last time he had made a quick remark), but Maximus gave him what I can only classify as a horsey glare. I let out a deep sigh. Time to break up their little party. "Look," I said to Maximus. _The truth is always best._ "Today is kind of the_ biggest_ day of my life, and the thing is…."

I walked over to Eugene and gently pulled him by his arm back over to Maximus. _It's amazing how I can feel the animosity just by touching his arm_, I thought. My stomach flipped over and I decided I was nervous about Maximus. Of course, _you_ know better, my dear listener, but I alternatively buried and fed my growing feelings for Eugene during our journey. And this was one of those times when I euphemized what I was feeling. "I need you to not get him arrested," I told Maximus. He whinnied in protest.

"Just for twenty-four hours!" I amended, hoping he would agree. If he didn't, Eugene wouldn't be the only one in trouble. "And then you can chase each other to your heart's content, okay?" Eugene sighed, and I could tell that he would agree to my terms. He did, and stuck out his hand for Maximus to shake. Maximus looked the complete opposite direction. _Not a chance, pal. _I let out a deep breath, ready to pull out my ace. "And it's also my birthday," I informed Maximus. "Just so you know."

Maximus' shoulders slumped. _Got you!_ He reluctantly put his hoof into Eugene's hand, and they shook on it. _One problem taken care of,_ I thought triumphantly as I walked between them. Suddenly the realization that today was the day I was going to see the lanterns filled me. Excitement and anticipation covered me like a wave. _This is going to be the best day ever! _"So, Eugene," I said. "What should we do…" _Very loud groan_. I turned back to look at Eugene and Maximus. Eugene was on the ground, clutching his chest, and Maximus looked quite….guilty. _Some agreement! _

I walked over to Maximus, and placed one hand on his noise. "Now, none of that," I scolded. "You made an agreement, remember? And a magnanimous horse like you _always_ keeps his agreement." He whickered, looking quite repentant. I heard Eugene make vomiting noises from behind me and I knew exactly what he was saying-_magnanimous nothing! He's a bad horse. _I sighed again, for what seemed like the twentieth time that morning. _Enough of this!_

"Now, look," I told both of them sternly. "I can't keep my eyes on you every second. But Pascal can, and if you don't behave, I'll tell him to do something to you. And I can guarantee that you won't like it. So, can you please act civil?" Maximus looked nonplussed. Eugene, on the other hand, looked almost…scared. I could tell he remembered Pascal's tongue in his ear_. Ha, he can do something much worse than a tongue in your ear!_ I gave them both my best glare.

"Oh, all right!" agreed Eugene. "But Max here started it!"

_Why do I suddenly feel like I'm with two three year olds? _"I can tell you right now that I don't care who started it, and Pascal won't either," I said. "Now will you please stop this so I can enjoy my birthday?"

Maximus let out of whicker of agreement. Eugene had crossed his arms across his chest again, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, all right!" he said finally.

_At last! Success! _"Great! So can we go see the capital now, because I've never seen it and I've always…" I asked excitedly.

Eugene chuckled. "You know, Blondie, ordinarily I wouldn't say this. But since it's your birthday, we can go see whatever you want."

_Really? He was going to let _me_ choose where we went? _"Thank you," I said gratefully. "And I'd like to see anything you would like to show me too."

He looked surprised, and then smirked his Flynn Rider smirk. Funny, that smirk didn't cause me to feel annoyed, but rather as if twenty butterflies had been let loose in my chest. Weird. "Oh, well, you'll be in for a treat. Flynn Rider haunts all the best spots."

My heart beat faster in anticipation. _This is going to be the best birthday!  
_


	14. The Capital and the Old Letter

A/N: More about Eugene's mother :)

Most of this is written to answer my own personal question-where did Eugene get the money for all the stuff he bought for Rapunzel?

Oh and the quote is more about the end of the chapter, just so you know

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 13-The Capital and the Old Letter  
**_

"There are so many unpleasant things in the world already that there is no use in imagining any more."

-L.M. Montgomery, _Anne of Avonlea_

Now that Eugene and I were about to walk to the city, I had to figure out what I was going to do with both Hesty and Eugene's satchel. I couldn't very well leave it in the forest, now could I? I quickly decided that I would hide it in one of Maximus' saddlebags (and Hesty would fit in there too), but Eugene had to be distracted so he wouldn't see. For that, I enlisted Pascal and told him in no uncertain terms that I needed him to occupy Eugene for five minutes. Pascal looked completely smug, and I could tell that this was a task he would enjoy. A lot. Maybe even more that a lot, because I heard nothing but Eugene's screeching and screaming and shouting for much more than five minutes. Once I had completed my task, I quickly turned toward to them, realizing that I would have to break up this little party too.

But I was unprepared for what I saw. Eugene, hopping and scratching, yelled "Get-off-me" over and over again. And once he saw me, his shouting turned into "Get-him-off-me!" instead. Dear listener, I would be a complete liar if I said that I didn't enjoy watching Eugene like that. I mean, it was pretty funny. And I would be lying further if I said I didn't watch him for at least a full minute before I ordered Pascal to stop whatever torture he was inflicting upon Eugene.

"All right (laugh), all right (chuckle), that's (snort) enough, Pascal" I managed to say through my laughter. Pascal immediately stopped, looking almost apologetic. Eugene, on the other hand, looked completely infuriated.

"How can you stand that…that _creature_?" he snarled at me, his hands on his hips.

I put on my best confused look. "What _are _you talking about?" I asked innocently. "Pascal_ never_ acts that way around me." He continued to look very angry. "Look, I know you're…not pleased with either of our…uh…animal companions, but can we please walk to the city now?"

He still looked mad, but he starting walking. "Fine," he said tersely. "Capital's this way."

I followed him, after I put Pascal on my shoulder and told Maximus to come with us. As I drew closer to Eugene, I could hear him grumble something about worthless animals who didn't know their place. I forced down a laugh and I exchanged a smile with both Maximus and Pascal.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The walk to the capital passed pleasantly. Well, for me, Maximus, and Pascal that is. Eugene continued to be irked until we reached the city, but then he put on his Flynn Rider persona, and told me of his many successful thefts in the city. I listened patiently, and then informed him that it would be prudent to not talk too much about that, unless he would like to be captured by the guards (who were already on the lookout for anybody who looked remotely like him). "The stories make you….quite conspicuous," I told him. "Why don't you be Eugene today?" He scoffed, until I batted my eyelashes at him and said "For me? It's my birthday after all" and he actually agreed (who knew eyelashes could be so useful?).

Anyway, we finally entered the capital of Corona. I quickly walked through the gates, completely in awe of everything that I saw: Bustling groups of people strolled around the city, and on each side of the road towered houses and shops with thatch roofs. I sighed in delight. It was a lovely sight, and I likely would have continued to stare at all the commotion. However, just then I felt a tug on my hair, and it felt like my hair was being pulled out of my scalp. Instantly, I remembered that I had _seventy_ feet of hair, and I, with Eugene's help, began to scoop it up. We stared at each other for a minute, and I knew that we were both thinking the same thing- Well, _this_ isn't going to work. I have to say, dear listener, that I likely….kept gazing at Eugene….more than necessary. I searched his eyes for any evidence of an idea (because I didn't have any).

Suddenly, his eyes brightened and he whistled. I followed his gaze. Four little girls sat on a fountain, braiding each others' hair. "Hey!" Eugene called to them. "How would you like to braid _seventy_ feet of hair?" They looked completely delighted and walked over to us. "Oh, we would love to!" the oldest one said.

And so it was that I sat in the city for around an hour (Eugene waited patiently) letting those wonderful girls braid my hair. Sometimes I still think of those girls and what they did for me. They were so gentle with my hair, and they told me repeatedly how beautiful it was and _I _was and how much they loved my dress. In addition, they also informed me that Eugene was _very _handsome and I was _very _lucky to have him. Of course, I protested and said we were only friends, if that. They, on the other hand, didn't believe me and even began to weave flowers into my hair, all the while telling me that with the flowers in my hair, he would never think of any other girl ever again (and isn't it interesting? They turned out to be so right. I love those girls).

All in all, the braiding turned out to be lovely experience. And once they were finished, I twirled around and thanked them profusely. They in turn said that they had enjoyed it very much and don't forget what they said about Eugene. I assured them that I wouldn't and walked shyly over to Eugene. And I was very surprised by how he looked.

He gazed….almost appreciatively at me, and his eyes were soft with pleasure. _Does he think I look beautiful_, I wondered. _Maybe those darling girls were right after all._ I might have continued to think about what the girls had said, but my stomach grumbled and I remembered that we hadn't eaten anything all day. I decided I would tell Eugene that I needed to eat something, but first I _had _to ask him about my hair.

"So," I asked shyly. "Do you…..like my hair?"

He blinked. "Your hair….uh…" _Was he_ stammering_? _ "Yes…it's…uh…very nice."

I beamed. He _did _like my hair! He thought I looked pretty! "Well, thank you," I said. "I don't know about you but I'm a little…hungry? Could we maybe eat….something?"

He blinked once. Then twice. _No, scratch that, _I thought gleefully. _He thinks I look_ beautiful! Finally, he looked composed once more. "Yes, we could," he informed me. "But I'm a little short on money right now. And I told you I wouldn't use my five-finger discount today."

Perplexed, I gave him a look. _What is a five finger discount?_

He laughed, and leaned closer to me and whispered "stealing" into my ear. _Oh!_

Now it was my turn to blink. "Oh, right," I said. Stealing! No, that wasn't going to happen today. Not around me. And I wouldn't let him steal just so I could eat. "Well, don't you have any money somewhere else?" I asked.

He smirked. "Of course I do!" he assured me. "I'm Flynn Rid-"

I shoved a hand over his mouth. "Shh!" I told him. "Do you want everybody to hear that? The guards could be on you in a minute!"

His eyes appeared repentant. I didn't believe it for a minute, but I cautiously removed my hand from his mouth. "So, what were you going to say?" I asked patiently.

Another smirk (Honestly!). "Well," he said. "I was about to say, before I was so _rudely _interrupted, that I have some money back at my place."

His _place_? He actually had a _place_? Somehow I expected somebody like him to…sleep at a tavern at night. Or something odd like that. "Well, that's _stupendous_," I said, pleased.

"But," he said, holding up a hand. "The guards know where I live, and if I go there, they would be…how did you say it? On me in a minute."

My shoulders slumped. Well, that wouldn't work. _Hmm._ Suddenly an idea flashed into my head. "Well…" I began hesitantly. "If you tell me where to go, I could get it for you. I mean…they obviously aren't after me…right?"

A glint appeared in his eyes. "Well, that's true enough," he said. Then he laughed. "You know something? You're all right, Blondie. Sure, I'll show you."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

I followed him through the bustling streets, and as I did, he told me exactly what to do. He informed me that once I was there, I had to ask for Mrs. Jean McIntyre, and only Mrs. Jean McIntyre. Furthermore, she was the only one there who knew his other name, and I was_ not _to say anything about Flynn Rider. I asked him why, and he told me that she was the only lady he trusted there, and she would take good care of me. And for heaven's sake, didn't I know by now why he didn't want me to say anything about Flynn Rider? I in turn said of course, and then asked where I would find the money and how much I should take. He said there was a loose floorboard at the foot of the bed, and I would find it there and I could take ten silver coins. Silence descended after that, and I wondered if I should be….nervous about this.

Finally, Eugene stopped. "Okay, Blondie," he said. "This is as far as I can take you. Just walk three houses down until you reach The Eagle and Crown, okay? I'll wait for you right here, in this alley."

I said yes, very bravely. And then I set out.

XXXXXXXXXX

You know, dear listener, I expected the The Eagle and Crown to be…fairly worn down. But it wasn't. I mean, it wasn't a palace but it wasn't like The Snuggly Duckling either. It was old, but clean. It was actually a…quaint two-story boardinghouse. Odd, isn't it? Who would have expected him to live in a place like this?

Anyway, I entered through the door and immediately saw a plump Screlandian woman knitting. I walked over to her hesitantly. "Excuse me," I asked politely. "Are you…Mrs. Jean McIntyre?"

She looked up at me, and kindness shined in her brown eyes. "Aye. How can I help ye today?"

She seems perfectly nice, I thought. Maybe this won't be…too scary. "Um…well, Eugene Fitzherbert sent me to get some money from his room," I said.

She pondered that for a minute and looked at me as if to take my measure. Finally, she seemed to come to some decision. "All right, lass," she said. "I don't ken you from a hole in the ground but if you say Eugene Fitzherbert sent you, then I suppose you must be telling the truth." She stood up and told me to follow her.

I did, wondering what have I gotten myself into all the while. I walked behind her as she took me to the second floor, and a small room nestled under the rafters of the roof.

"All right, lassie," she said. "Here we are." She pushed open the door, to reveal a somewhat dusty room with a small bed in one corner, an old chair in the other. "Don't dawdle now." She told me that she would wait outside.

I thanked her, and then walked cautiously into the room. I searched carefully for the loose floorboard by the bed. I easily found it, and I easily lifted it up. And I was quite surprised by what I found there.

Underneath the floorboard were a small cloth bag, an old book, and a tiny cameo. I knew that the cloth bag was what I was looking for, but tI couldn't help but look at the cameo. I gingerly picked it up. My breath caught in my throat-a beautiful brunette young woman with flashing green eyes stared up at me. Instantly I knew that it was Eugene's mother. I turned the cameo over, wondering if there was anything on the back. There was- _Vivian Lewis_ and the date. I gently put the cameo back, all the while thinking how much I wished I could have known her.

Now dear listener, I knew that Mrs. McIntyre had told me to not dawdle but that is preciously what I did, much to my shame. I was too completely overwhelmed by curiosity to do anything else. I took out the old book, wondering what it was. I gently opened it to the cover page, and I smiled. _The Tales of Flynnigan Rider. _I cautiously flipped through the pages, and was surprised when I saw a worn and folded piece of paper.

Completely forgetting about Mrs. McIntyre, I unfolded it and began to read. It was a letter dated ten years prior.

_My dearest Eugene, _

_ If you are reading this, then I know that I must be gone. To say that I know how you must be feeling is-most likely- not helpful to you, but I do remember when my own dear mother left me many years ago. I remember my soul felt like it was torn in two, and I'm sure that you feel much the same way. I wish I could tell you that it becomes easier to bear with time, but it doesn't. I never was able to say good-bye to my mother, which is why I'm determined to write this, my last goodbye to you. _

_ My precious boy, how I hope you know that I love you dearly. You brightened every moment of every single day, and I cherish all memories of you close to my heart. I know that you are angry with what Lord Herbert Seymour, your father, did to me, but I have to assure you that your existence was never anything but a blessing to me. All right? There was never a day that I wasn't thankful to God for bringing you to me. _

_ And never forget who you are. I named you Eugene Fitzherbert, because that is what you are- well born and noble. The son of Lord Herbert. And beloved son of Vivian. _

_ Even though I must leave you now, my love for my precious boy will not._

_I love you, now and forever,_

_Mother_

Tears pricked my eyes. Poor, poor Eugene! And his poor mother! I heard a throat clear behind me. "You finished, child?" _Mrs. McIntyre._

I hastily shoved the letter back into the book, and extracted ten silver coins from the bag. Quietly, I put the piece of wood back in place.

"Yes, ma'am" I called and quickly walked out of the room. She narrowed her eyes at me, and I could tell that she wondered what took me so long. But she didn't say anything and led me back downstairs.

Completely blown away by what I had read, I honestly don't remember much after that. But I do remember the walk back to Eugene, wondering all the while if I was going to tell him what I had learned.

* * *

A/N: So that is Eugene's history, as I imagined it! And the cool thing is- I didn't have to make it up. Well, obviously I did. But Fitz does really mean son of, and Eugene really does mean well born or noble. And I'm sure that lords did do what they did to Vivian. And I love Great Britain so much that I imagine Corona to be like Wales, hence the English influence. And Screlandria is a mixture of Ireland and Scotland. :)


	15. The Best Birthday Ever

A/N: Okay, so I found this chapter very hard to write. That is mostly because everything in this chapter occurs during around 2 minutes of the actual movie, with the most amazing background song (Kingdom Dance). It conveys perfect emotions and it was very difficult for me to capture those emotions in words. I realize I could have written this differently-with more dialogue- but it just didn't come to me in that way. Mostly I wanted to share Rapunzel's memories and feelings of that special day and talking didn't really work that well. So I hope you still like this chapter, and I will try to do a little better with the lantern scene, (which I anticipate will be equally hard to write-because how can you capture "I See the Light" in words? I refuse to write out the lyrics and make Rapunzel think them because to me it is very tacky. Not to mention lazy. And I won't do it. So we'll see what happens) and I have a few ideas of how i might write it.

as always thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 14-The Best Birthday Ever**_

"To the untraveled, territory other than their own familiar heath is invariably fascinating. Next to love, it is the one thing which solaces and delights."

-Theodore Dreiser, _Sister Carrie_

As I walked back to Eugene, I eventually decided that I would_ not_ tell him what I had learned. Why, you ask? Well, to be honest, I figured that it would make me look….kind of like a snoop. And I didn't want him to think of me that way. So once I saw him and gave him his money, I said absolutely nothing about my new-found knowledge about his mother. Instead I asked him where we should go next.

"Where do you want to go?" he asked me kindly.

I thought about that for a minute. I definitely wanted to go back to the square at the city gates. There was so much excitement contained in that tiny strip of city. "Well," I said at last. "How about we go back to the city square? There is so much to explore there!" He agreed and we set off for the square. The square where I had the best birthday of my entire life (up until that point).

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dear listener, I still have pleasant memories of that day, even now, and for several reasons. First of all, I turned eighteen that day and I finally was free from my mother. And secondly (and even more importantly), I continued to fall in love with Eugene. And the day itself was pure perfection-the sun shone brightly, a cool breeze blew off the lake, and no clouds hung in the sky.

I don't recall the exact order of events once we re-entered the square, but I do remember that I couldn't contain my excitement and dragged Eugene from stall to stall to stall. More importantly, I remember waiting in line with Eugene for bread and suddenly spotting a mosaic of Queen Guinevere and King Ostwalt and a baby girl on one of the city walls. Captivated, I walked closer to it and saw a little girl place a flower at the base, and heard her say "it's for the lost princess." Suddenly, I realized that the baby girl must be the lost princess. I was immediately intrigued and stared at the girl even more closely. _Funny_, I thought. _Her hair is blond like mine…..and her eyes are green like mine too. _I felt a very strange sense of déjà vu, like I was on the edge of remembering something but I just couldn't quite reach it. I decided then and there that I would ask Eugene more about this…lost princess. I was completely fascinated by her and wanted to learn as much about her as I could.

Just then, I heard the sounds of flutes, lyres, and violins playing a festive and happy tune. Overwhelmed by happiness and the beauty of the music, I immediately began dancing the song of my heart in the center of the square. I twirled around and around and I even did a little of the ballet that I had practiced in my tower. And since I was so full of joy and wanted others to be too, I dragged many of the townsfolk into the square out to dance with me. Most of them, dear listener, were quite surprised by my actions, but eventually there was enough of us to dance in a circle. But Eugene was not one of them. I looked around quickly for him, and spotted him with Maximus, contentedly watching the dancing. I gestured for him to join us, but he put up a hand, his clear way of saying _I don't dance_. However, Maximus pushed him into the circle and he began to dance with us. But not with me. Not for lack of trying, though, because both of us were drawn by the other, yearning to be in each other's arms. At least I know I did. But every time we danced close to each other, some other townsfolk would take us away once more. And even though I didn't have the chance to dance with Eugene, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and was sad when the music ended.

I met up with Eugene once more and I asked him what we should do now. He told me that it was time to eat. And that is just what we did.

XXXXXXXXXXX

After we finished eating our meal of bread and cheese, we walked the square once more. I enjoyed every single moment of that afternoon, but there were certain parts of it that stuck out in my mind, even years afterward:

Like Eugene kindly buying a small piece of purple fabric with a golden sun sewn on it, and the way his warm breath tickled my cheek once he gave it to me.

And the way he surprised me with cupcakes to celebrate my birthday, how close he was to me when we had to hide suddenly from the guards, and the smile we exchanged when we realized that we had outwitted them.

And the admiring look he gave to me when I finished drawing a large golden sun surrounded by a purple background in the middle of the square.

But one of my most favorite memories of the day was our trip to the capital's library and archives…..when Flynn Rider and his ambitions almost completely left my dear Eugene.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Of course, that was my idea and I almost had to drag Eugene in there. But he told me later how much he had enjoyed it. Once we entered the Library, a very official looking man greeted us and asked us what we were seeking. And until he asked that, I had no idea what I wanted to see. But suddenly I knew that I wanted to look at some kind of records of the lords of the land. I wanted to see if I find out any more information about Eugene's mysterious noble father.

"I would like to see the records…of the nobles," I told the man. "And Eugene here would like to see books about islands." The library-keeper seemed pleased, but Eugene gave me a look that said why would you want to look at something so completely boring. _Oh Eugene_, I thought. _If only I could tell you why. _

The library-keeper showed Eugene to the books about islands, but he didn't look too pleased. I remember wondering about that, because he had just told me yesterday that his dream was to own an island, surrounded by enormous piles of money. So you would think he would like to read a book to learn more about them. But he informed me (later) that by then his dream wasn't to own an island, it was to be with me. And he was just becoming conscious of how silly his island dream had been compared to the warm companionship he found with me. Isn't he so sweet? I never would have guessed when I first meet Eugene that he could be so.._._completely _romantic_.

Then the library-keeper showed me to a room full of old, big, and dusty books. There must have been thousands of them. He asked me if I was looking for a particular family and I told him the Seymour family. And so the pile of books that I had to go through diminished to around fifty. Fun, right? Anyway, it took me quite some time, but I finally found a page with Lord Herbert Seymour on it. I discovered several things about him: One, he was still alive and in his fifties. Two, he didn't have any living sons (I don't need to tell you, dear listener, that I snorted when I read that). Three, he had two married daughters. Four, his wife had died several years before. And finally, I found a record of his servants and, of course, Vivian Lewis was one of them. She had been one of his maids, and had died when she was only 29. Which meant that she had had Eugene when she was 18. I cringed when I read that. What a horrid thing for Lord Herbert to do!

After that, I didn't want to read anymore and I eventually wandered around until I found the library-keeper, who kindly showed me back to where Eugene was. I expected him to be engrossed in a book about islands, but instead he looked…quite bored, leaning against the bookshelves with his arms crossed.

"What do you want to look at now, Blondie?" he asked me.

I thought for a moment. "Well," I began hesitantly. "I would like to look at more of the books here. That is, if you don't mind. I've never seen so many books in my entire life!"

Surprisingly, he agreed and I spent at least two hours in the library, dashing from aisle to aisle, excitedly bring book after book to him. I would sit on the floor, read a bit of one, leave it open on the floor, and then look at another. Eventually, the ground was covered with half-open books. And he was quite patient with me too, and would make kind remarks in response to my complete giddiness. However, he didn't seem like he was completely enjoying himself until I found a world atlas and showed it to him. He immediately was intrigued and sat (quite close-our shoulders almost touched) to me and we looked through it together. While we turned through the pages, we talked about what it would be like to see all those wonderful places. He told me that he would be happy if he could see the Continent. I told him that I would love to travel anywhere and everywhere, and he seemed a bit surprised that I did. But what did he expect from a girl who had spent 18 years cramped up in a tower? When we reached the page with our country on it, I showed him a little island off the coast of Corona.

"There's your island, Eugene" I said, glancing over at him.

Incredibly, he looked…almost sad. Not at all like somebody who dreamed of living on an island. "Oh yes," he said. We continued to glance through the pages, but now there was complete silence between us. Confused, I darted looks in his direction, wondering why my mention of his island made him so…upset. Finally, we reached the end and I told him I was ready to go.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Once we exited the library, the sun had drifted closer to the horizon and musicians played once more in the city square. Totally excited at the prospect of dancing again, I dragged Eugene along with me until we were both in the circle, frolicking along with the other townsfolk. Now, my dear listener, the first time dancing was delightful, but the second time was pure bliss. The music seemed to reflect my very soul and I spun and twirled in time to it. I remember thinking to myself that I had never been happier nor had a better birthday in my entire life. And the day wasn't even over yet! Completely overwhelmed with joy, I shut my eyes as I continued to dance, yearning to shut out the world and become one with the music. Finally the music ended, and I suddenly found myself in somebody's arms. I quickly opened them, to see who had caught me:

It was Eugene, his eyes sparkling with pleasure. I smiled back at him, delighted to be in his arms. We gazed at each other for what seemed like a long time (probably more like a minute) until I heard someone call "to the boats!" Eugene smiled at me, and I could tell what was going to happen next. A shiver of excitement trickled down my spine. It was time for me to see the floating lights!


	16. The Floating Lights

A/N: The floating lights scene! Writing this actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, and I managed to write it without using any of the lyrics from "I See the Light". Which makes me very happy! I hope that this chapter somewhat meets up to the movie scene, though I doubt it could ever exceed it. "I See the Light" is perfect just the way it is-a beautiful song with an amazing backdrop.

I'm going to...embarrass myself here and admit that I've...kind of pulled a Pygmalion. Because I find myself to be forming... a slight crush on my version of Flynn Rider. Isn't that the funniest thing ever?

And I love the quote for this chapter. I mean, I obviously love all of them, or I wouldn't use them. but this quote is so perfect it is like it was written for Eugene.

Thanks to my readers/reviewers!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 15-The Floating Lights**_

"Gold, for the instant, lost its luster in his eyes, for there were countless treasures of the heart which it could never purchase."

-Charles Dickens, _Nicholas Nickleby_

After Eugene and I finished dancing, he told me that he had a surprise for me and I needed to follow him. So I did, wondering all the while what the surprise could be. He had already given me so much and made my birthday so special. What more could he possibly do? Eventually, we reached the docks and he informed me that he was going to rent a boat for the two of us (Maximus would stay behind). While I waited for him to pay, I glanced over at Maximus, and I remembered that Eugene's satchel was still hidden in the saddlebags. Part of me knew that it was time for me to give it back to him; after all, he had more than kept his side of the bargain. Now it was my turn to keep my promise. But how could I continue to hide it from him until the right moment? Instinctively, I knew that there would be one._ Hmmm._ Finally, an idea came to me.

And it came just in time because Eugene came back. "All right, Blondie. You ready to see the lanterns?" he said.

_More than ready! _"Yes, but before we go in the boat, can you…uh…do something else for me?" I asked.

He looked a little surprised, but he said yes. Thank goodness! "Can you buy some apples for Maximus? I feel a little bad that he has to stay here and wait for us," I said.

He smirked. "Only you, Blondie, would feel bad for a _horse_," he chuckled. "But sure I'll get some for him. And while I do, you can wait in our boat, okay? It's that one right there." He pointed to the boat closest to us.

Incredibly relieved, I told him that I would. And as soon as his back was turned, I hastily removed his satchel from the saddlebag, hid it underneath my seat, and settled in the boat. I had barely done that before Eugene came back, a large bag of apples in his hand.

"You all ready now, Blondie?" he asked me. "I mean, there isn't some other animal I need to buy food for, is there?"

I knew he was teasing me and I forced a laugh. "Oh, no, not now," I tossed back. "But if there is, I'll let you know."

He smiled and sat down in the boat with me, taking the paddle in his hand, and pushed us off. I noticed Pascal on his shoulder, and I nearly laughed again_. You never get tired of torturing him, do you, Pascal_, I thought fondly.

I glanced at Eugene, who was looking at Maximus, who was forlornly watching us. "Hey Max," he called and threw the bag of apples unto the dock. Maximus gave him a skeptical and suspicious look that said_ I will not eat any of your stolen apples. _

Eugene chuckled. "What? I _bought_ them!"

Now assured, Maximus eagerly began to eat the apples. "_Most_ of them," Eugene amended, never resisting a chance to torment Maximus.

Glad that Maximus had his treat, I turned my thoughts toward the lanterns. I wondered where Eugene was taking me-many of the townspeople who planned to watch the lanterns stayed on-shore.

"Where are we going?" I asked cautiously, glancing back at him.

He carefully removed Pascal from his shoulder and placed him on the rear of the boat. "Well," he said. "Best day of your life? I figure you should have a decent seat."

I felt my heart skip a beat. That was very kind of him! As he rowed us out to the middle of the lake and the sun sank lower in the sky, I couldn't help thinking about the lost princess. She had been in my thoughts all day, but the moment never seemed right until now to ask him about it.

"Can I ask you something?" I asked him hesitantly.

He looked at me kindly. "It's your birthday" he said.

I guess that meant I could. "What do you know about the….lost princess?"

He seemed surprised and I guess he thought I was going to ask him something else. Well, there _were_ a great number of questions that I could have asked him, most of them starting with his mother, but I really needed to know about the princess.

"I don't know too much about her," he said. "But I do know that she was taken away by somebody when she was a very young baby. King Ostwalt and Queen Guinevere had their guards search all over the kingdom, but they never found her."

I felt a wave of sadness creep over me. Our poor King and Queen! "How awful," I murmured.

"Yeah," he said. "It is a pretty sad story. But they never lost hope in someday finding their daughter, and they send up your floating lights every year on the princess' birthday, hoping that she'll see them and come back."

_That _was the story behind the floating lights? Somehow I expected something…much happier. "Hmmm," I said.

Silence descended between us as surely as the darkness did. Eventually, we reached the center of the lake, facing the castle and capital. We both turned in our seats so that we could see the lights rise up.

Suddenly, I realized that after years and years and years of dreaming about seeing the lanterns in person, I was finally about to do it. And it seemed odd that after ten plus years of cherishing that dream close to my heart, it was about to come true right now in this moment. _Will it be everything I hoped it would be?_ I had always imagined that the seeing the lanterns would bring me great joy, but right now all I felt was…scared. Scared that my precious dream wouldn't measure up to my expectations, and scared that I was about to lose a little piece of my heart, the piece that had always yearned to see the lanterns. _What should I put in my heart instead of that dream? What will I do now?_ _Now that I've seen them, should I just go home? _I sighed heavily.

Eugene glanced at me. "You okay?" he asked kindly.

It was on the tip of my tongue to say yes, just like I had in the woods the previous night. But I found that I couldn't do it-I couldn't lie to him about my feelings anymore. Somehow, it didn't seem right, not when I considered all he had done for me. "I'm terrified," I whispered.

"Why?" He sounded confused and I honestly couldn't blame him. I had been raving about how much I wanted to see the lanterns the entire time he had known me, and now that I was about to see them, I was….scared? It seemed ridiculous.

But I couldn't help my feelings, and I found that I wanted to talk about them instead of burying them deep down inside. So I spoke honestly, straight from my heart. "I've been looking out of a window for 18 years, dreaming about what I might feel like when those lights rise in the sky. And now all I can think is what if it isn't all that I dreamed it would be?"

He smiled faintly. "It will be," he said with quiet assurance.

Even if the lanterns were everything that I hoped they would be, I still had no idea what I was going to do afterward. I glanced over at him. "And what if it is?" I asked. "What do I do then?"

He seemed to ponder that for a minute. "Well, that's the good part, I guess," he said with a small smile. "You get to find a new dream."

Somehow I had never thought of it that way. _A new dream?_ I smiled back at him. "Hmmm," I said.

We both sat quietly after that, lost in our own thoughts. I mostly stared down at the water, thinking about the lanterns. Suddenly I realized that Eugene was holding something out to me-tiny flowers that most have fallen out of my hair. Touched, I gently took them from his hands and placed them on the water. And while I looked down at the water, I saw a tiny beam of light. I glanced up and saw one solitary light float from the castle. _It must be the lanterns!_

Overwhelmed with excitement, I scrambled to the rear of the boat, determined to not miss a single moment. I watched in awe as hundreds of other shining lights from the castle joined the first. Millions of other lights began to rise in the sky, from the town, from the houses, even from the ships in the harbor. They twinkled and glowed in the moonlight sky like tiny stars. It was the most beautiful, wonderful sight I had ever seen in my entire life. I breathed in deeply, and rested my head contentedly on the end of the boat. How could I have ever doubted my dream? The floating lights were everything that I had ever dreamed they would be, yes, and even more.

Yet as stunning and breathtaking as all of it was, I couldn't help but feel that it wouldn't have been quite as amazing if Eugene hadn't been there to share it with me. I realized that this moment would always remind me of a rose with a thorn-the rose was, of course, the lanterns and the thorn was the bitter reminder that we would part ways after the lights were finished. And I knew, deep down in my heart, that I didn't want that to happen. Even though I had started this journey close to despising him, somewhere along the way my feelings had completely changed. Instead of being the annoying thief Flynn Rider, in my mind he had become the sweet and kind Eugene Fitzherbert with a sad past of his own. Eugene Fitzherbert had captivated my heart, and in that instant, I knew that I had found my new dream- a dream of a future with him, unlikely as it seemed to be. I glanced back at Eugene, and he had two glowing lanterns in his hands-a final gift to me. I knew it was the right moment for me to give him mine. My mother's warnings about him echoed faintly in my head, but they didn't frighten me like they did before. Even if he did leave me, it was his right because he had fulfilled his end of the deal. And now it was time for me to do the same.

I cautiously walked back to my seat. "I have something for you too," I said, as I removed the satchel from my hiding place and held it out to him. Curiously, he looked completely surprised…almost as if he had forgotten about it. _How is that possible? "_I should have given it to you sooner," I continued. "But I was scared. And the thing is, I'm not scared anymore. You know what I mean?"

He gently pushed the satchel back towards me. "I'm starting to," he said with a smile. He handed me one of the lanterns, and we set them at the same time into the sky to join the other lights. I watched them eagerly; stunned to see them stick together in the sky, almost as if they couldn't drift apart. _Maybe it's a sign that Eugene and I will somehow be together._

I continued to gaze at all the other lanterns, which were by now falling softly onto the water. Suddenly, I saw one drift close toward us and I gleefully pointed it out to Eugene. But for some reason he seemed almost distracted by something and I didn't quite capture his attention. I leaned out of the boat as far as I could and sent the lantern back up into the sky. Then, quite unexpectedly, I felt a warm pressure on my hand. _Eugene._

Surprised, I turned toward him and he took my other hand. I looked cautiously into his eyes, wondering all the while what he was doing. But I shouldn't have. Because the only emotion that I could find was complete and utter affection…for me. I felt my heart skip two beats. Could it be possible that he felt the same way I did? _What is he doing? Will he say something? _

He took a deep breath. "Rapunzel, I…" he began, in the gentlest tone I had ever heard him use.

My heart missed three beats. He said my name! Every single other time he had addressed me before, I was Goldie or Blondie or some other nickname. I loved hearing him say my name- it sounded almost like poetry or a melody from the song of my very soul. "Say it again," I whispered.

He seemed confused. "What?"

"My name," I said quietly. "Say it again."

His expression relaxed into a soft and knowing smile. "Rapunzel."

_Would hearing him say that ever get old?_ "Again."

He smiled wider. "Rapunzel."

_No,_ I decided, _it wouldn't_. He drew my hands closer to him and, instead of missing a beat, my heart rate sped up. _What will happen now? _

He softly caressed my cheek. "Rapunzel", he said again, tenderly. I felt my heart completely melt and I gazed into his eyes, hoping he could see my own feelings of love reflected there. He must have, because he began to gently draw me even closer to him, and my heart pounded. _He's going to kiss me! _My eyes drifted shut, in eager anticipation for his kiss…

A kiss that, as it turned out, never came.


	17. The Betrayal

A/N: I'm completely overwhelmed by the reviews for last chapter! you have no idea how much they meant to me. Just...thank you. I'm so glad you liked it. And I'm sorry that the ending wasn't better. I thought about just leaving it when she closes her eyes in anticipation but I decided it was too cruel of a cliffhanger. So i added the last sentence.

This chapter was sooooooooo hard to write. It took me forever and I felt so bad for Rapunzel. But I hope it turned out okay. Somehow I have a feeling writing the rest of this will be much more difficult that some of the other scenes. Oh well. I AM going to finish this story. ;) I go back to school next week and I know that if I don't finish it soon, it won't get done. Because I don't have much spare time when I have classes, and even when I do, I doubt that I will want to spend it writing (as much fun as this is).

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 16-The Betrayal**_

"It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black."

-This is Spinal Trap

My dear listener, you have been so patient with me, and so I feel it incumbent upon me to warn you that here begins the very…black and dark part of my story. I will assure you now that everything does end up all right in the end, but things will be quite grim for a while. But isn't that how life can be sometimes? Things have to become worse before they become right again? Maybe you know the truth of that yourself. I sure do. And when I look back on this part of my life, I am always thankful that my heart had been whole coming into it. Otherwise I don't know how I would have bore everything that happened. As it was, my heart would shatter more than once before it was all over. If my heart had been split before, there might have been nothing left of it at all.

Well, now that I have warned you, where was I in my tale?

Oh, right, I was on the boat with Eugene, waiting for his kiss- the kiss that should have been but never was. I remember my heart beating rapidly in my chest, the eager anticipation, and the joy that I felt knowing that he might indeed feel the same way about me that I did about him. I waited patiently for him to kiss me, and I must confess that I was confused when he drew back away because he didn't seem like the kind of man who would lose his nerve. His hand moved from my neck to my shoulder and I opened my eyes. To my surprise, he seemed…quite troubled-like something had gone terribly wrong.

"Is everything…okay?" I asked tentatively, unsure if I even wanted to hear the answer.

Instead of troubled, he now looked downright distracted and worried. _What could be bothering him?_ "Huh?"

I was about to repeat my question, when his expression cleared, like he had finally heard what I said. But the anxious look in his eyes did not. "Oh yes," he said, and squeezed my hand. "Yes, of course." I must confide in you, dear listener, that his assertion that everything was fine was the kind of reassurance that wasn't comforting at all. Something was wrong, even if he wouldn't tell me what it was.

"I just...uh…need to…row back to shore."

I followed his eyes with my own as they settled on the satchel next to me. My mother's cautions about him began to ring like warning bells in my mind. _He's only with you because he wants his crown. Trust me, as soon as you give it back, that's how fast he'll leave you. If he really cares about you, test him and see if he runs. _Could she be right? I began to feel sick- sick in heart and in mind.

I can assure you that the row back in tense silence did not pass pleasurably for either of us. But finally we did reach the other side, and he jumped out and pulled the boat onto the shore. I searched his eyes carefully for any indication that he was about to bolt, but there seemed to be a curtain between them and his emotions because I couldn't find anything. That might sound heartening, but it wasn't at all. During our journey, I had become quite abet at reading the emotions in his eyes and even if he was completely annoyed with me I could still clearly tell. The fact that they now seemed devoid of any emotion whatsoever was very disturbing, to say the least. _What is happening?_

Suddenly, I realized that he was speaking to me. "I'm sorry, everything is fine." _I don't believe you. _If everything was truly all right, then he wouldn't be talking so tersely. He picked up the satchel…his satchel. With the crown. My stomach dropped down to my feet. Was he going to leave me now? "There's just something I need to take care of," he said.

"Okay," I said, even though it wasn't. It wasn't at all.

"I'll be right back," he told me, then turned and walked away into the mist.

I watched him go, my stomach now in knots. Pascal crawled onto my shoulder, and I could feel his tension. "It's all right, Pascal," I reassured him. "He'll be back." _Won't he?_

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

I don't know how long I waited in the boat, but eventually I grew tired of sitting and climbed out of it. I didn't know where else to go, and he said he would be back, so I leaned my head against the end of the boat. I tried my hardest not to think about what would happen if he _didn't_ come back for me, but I have to admit, I was quite unsuccessful. My thoughts traveled in a continuous tangled circle- _He's going to leave me! No, he's not. He cares about you, remember? He almost kissed you! He just did that to make me care enough about him to let him have his satchel back. No, he didn't. Remember Eugene Fitzherbert, the sweet orphan? Do you think he made _that_ up? Well, he is a thief-maybe he's a good liar and actor too. But don't you recall the way he looked fondly at you and how upset he was about his mother? Not to mention the truth you found in the letter! So what? He still is off somewhere with the satchel!_

Ultimately, I couldn't stand my mental debate any longer and I tried to just wait patiently and hope for the best. And once I had decided that, I saw a man coming back toward me through the mist. _Eugene. _Relief covered me like a warm blanket on a cold day.

"Oh," I said with a reassured smile. "I was starting to think you ran off with the crown and left me." He didn't respond, and I was about to say something else to him. But shockingly, the shadow of the man I thought was Eugene split in two-two shadows that were much stronger, taller, and heavier than he was. My relief turned into another emotion that I had become quite familiar with during this journey-fear. The men continued to walk toward me, and I recognized them as the two Burly Red Men from yesterday's chase. What did they want with me? I thought they were after Eugene, or Flynn Rider to be precise. Did they catch him?

"He did," one of them informed me.

"What?" I asked, recoiling. He did? He ran off and left me? No, no, Flynn Rider might have done that, but Eugene Fitzherbert wouldn't. Right? Maybe they were lying, though how they would benefit was unclear to me. "No, he wouldn't."

Burly Red Man #1 gestured to a boat on the lake. "See for yourself."

I gave him a questioning glance and then looked in the direction that he pointed. "Eugene?" I caught a glimpse of a small boat through the mist…..with a man of Eugene's stature directing it. "Eugene!" I called futilely. My heart sank down to my feet. From all appearances, it seemed that he _had_ left me. _How could he do that for just a crown? After all we had been through together? After what had almost happened between us on the lake? _

Burly Red Man #1 was speaking again, and stroked the back of my hair. "Fair trade-the crown for the girl with the magic hair."

I turned toward them nervously. _Eugene had…told them about me? In exchange for the crown?_

"How much do you think someone would pay to stay young and healthy forever?" he continued, pulling out a large bag.

Instantaneously I knew what he had in mind, and in that moment I realized what complete and utter terror felt like. My heart sped rapidly, my eyes widened in fear, and I wanted to flee from them as much as I had ever wanted anything in my life. "No, please," I begged. They both began to walk closer toward me, menacingly.

"No!" I screamed in panic. "No!" I turned and ran as fast as I could away from them, thinking nothing but _I have to get away, I have to get away. _Suddenly, I felt my hair catch on a log and I began to pull at it, determined to free myself. Then, quite unexpectedly, I heard a loud groan and my mother call, "Rapunzel!"

Completely surprised, I stopped tugging at my hair. My mother was here? "Mother?" I said. I cautiously walked back to where the Burly Red Men were, hoping that I hadn't imagined hearing her voice. Incredibly, Mother _was _here, a branch in her hand, and the Burly Red Men, unconscious at her feet. Relief flooded over me like a wave. Mother was here!

As soon as she saw me, she dropped the branch. "Oh, my precious girl."

"Mother!" I ran into her arms, and she held me close for a minute. My heart rate began to slow, and the terror I felt receded. Mother had rescued me!

"Are you all right?" Mother said, concerned. "Are you hurt?" She touched my face carefully.

As grateful as I was that she had saved me from the horrible Burly Red Men, I couldn't help wonder how she had found me. "Mother, how did you…" I asked.

She placed her arms on my shoulders. "I was so worried about you, dear," she said, fretfully. "So I followed you and I saw them attack you!" She pulled me into another hug. "Let's go, before they come to," and began to pull me away.

But I wasn't quite ready to leave. I paused for a moment, looking for Eugene's boat on the lake. I found it and watched forlornly as it grew smaller and smaller. _How could he have left me like that? Worse, how could he have told them about my hair? He knew that it was a secret! I thought he cared about me._ My heart ached with the knowledge of his betrayal, and my eyes welled up with previously un-shed tears. I realized bitterly that my mother had been right about him the whole time-he did take off as soon as he had his crown. Oh, why hadn't I believed her before I gave my heart to him?

Slowly, I turned back toward her. She had a glowing lantern in her hand, but set it down once she saw me and held her arms open. I ran into her arms again with tears falling down my cheeks. "You were right, Mother," I sobbed. "You were right about everything."

She picked up the lantern, and held me close. "I know, dear. I know."

Slowly we began to make our way back home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

The journey back to the tower, dear listener, was agonizing. For one thing, it took at least a few hours if not more. For another, my mother scolded me about leaving, and of course, that was unpleasant. And finally, my heart shattered because Eugene had betrayed me, and I couldn't stop crying for more than a few minutes at a time. But we finally reached the tower, only a few hours before dawn. And as soon as we were back home, Mother told me to go sit on my bed, and she would make everything right again.

Of course, I found that hard to believe. Because how could anything be all right ever again? I know that people use the term a broken heart quite often and loosely, to the extent that it is almost a cliche now. But believe me, that was exactly how my heart felt that day-like it was it completely and irrevocably broken in half. Can you imagine somebody, whom you grew to love and trust deeply, break your confidence like that? Eugene's treachery had left a deep wound in my soul, and if he had reached inside me, torn out my heart, and then ripped it to pieces in front of me I doubt it could have hurt more than it did already. Because that is exactly how it felt. I kept crying and sobbing while I waited for my mother to come back to me. I reached into my dress pocket, and held the piece of fabric that Eugene had bought for me in my hand, wishing that things between us could have ended differently. Eventually, though, I stopped wishing and crying and instead of feeling miserable, I felt completely numb with shock. And that is the way I remained when Mother entered my room, a basket in her hand, and began to pluck out, one by one, the flowers in my hair. She tried to comfort me, but to be perfectly honest; nothing she said made me feel any better. She also attempted to make conversation with me, but I found that any words I could have said froze inside me and I couldn't speak at all. The silence continued until she finally plucked out the last flower.

"There!" she said. "It never happened." She stood up, and began to walk to the door, the basket in her hand. "Now wash up. I'm making hazelnut soup!"

Hazelnut soup was my favorite meal, but I couldn't muster up any enthusiasm. I remained silent, staring at my hands.

She sighed. "I really did try, Rapunzel. I tried to warn you what was out there," she said. I was conscious of her voice, but it felt like it came from very far away.

She continued when I said nothing. "The world is dark, and selfish, and cruel. If it finds even the smallest ray of sunshine, it destroys it." And with that, she left the room.

Once she left, I unfolded the piece of fabric in my hand and I remembered-I remembered the festival, the lanterns, and the wonderful townspeople. I decided that Mother wasn't right about everyone in the world because I had met some lovely people. But she _was_ right about Eugene. I tried to hold back the memory of when he had given it to me-the way he had smiled at me, and the way his cheek felt close to mine- but I couldn't. Another wave of sadness threatened to drown me.

Mother was wrong when she tried to convince me that my journey had never happened. And she was wrong when she attempted to tell me that everything would be fine.

Because, as I sat there on my bed, completely devastated, I wondered how anything could ever be all right again.


	18. The Final Confrontation

A/N: And...another hard chapter to write, that took me a very long time. I actually might go back and revise the ending, because I'm not sure if it's sad enough. but we'll see.

Much appreciation to my r/r's!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 17-The Final Confrontation**_

"Whatever comes," she said, "cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dressed in cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when no one knows it."  
-Frances Hodgson Burnett, _A Little Princess _

"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad."

-Aldous Huxley

As I sat on my bed, completely distraught, I felt my heart ache. Pascal, always sympathetic, tried to comfort me, but nothing he did made me feel any better either. I mulled over Eugene's betrayal over and over in my mind until I couldn't think of it anymore. Exhausted, I lay back on my bed, hoping that nothingness of sleep would claim me. It didn't. Instead, I kept seeing Eugene's face behind my eyelids and eventually, I opened them, surprised that shutting my eyes made me feel worse than when they were open. I looked up at the paintings on my ceilings, wishing I could rewind the clock and do everything over again, beginning when Eugene first entered the tower.

As I stared at my paintings, a very odd feeling came over me. The pictures on my ceiling were, of course, not the cause because they were of perfectly normal things-like a girl dreaming in bed. No, that wasn't the strange thing. Do you remember when I saw the mosaic back at the festival? How I felt something akin to déjà vu? Like I should remember something, but I couldn't quite reach it?

Well, that feeling came back as I lay on my bed. And I wondered if there was anything that could possibly unlock the door of my memory. _Hmm_. The only thing I had was the purple cloth with the golden sun on it. Though it seemed completely silly at the time, I raised it over my head.

Can you believe that it actually worked? Looking back, it seems completely absurd. But as I lay on my bed, with the fabric over my head, I felt the door open slightly and I leaned up on one elbow. Oddly enough, the pictures on my ceiling seemed to turn into the golden suns, the kind that was on my piece of fabric. I stood up, bewildered. Memories were beating at my mind now, demanding to be released. And I let them.

Instantly, images flashed through my mind:

A golden sun hovering above me, and a couple leaning in, that strangely looked like the king and queen

The mosaic at the festival of the king, queen, and their daughter who had the same hair and eye color as me

Me, trying on the tiara, and marveling that it seemed to have been made for me

Eugene's face, saying, "the lost princess was taken away by somebody when she was a very young baby…. they send up your floating lights every year on the princess' birthday, hoping that she'll see them and come back"

Suddenly, everything became clear to me: _I have the same color eyes and hair as her. I have the same birthday like her. I felt the lanterns calling me, like her. The tiara fit me, like it would fit her. Because…..it's me._

I am_ the lost princess._

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Completely stunned by my revelation, I cried out, knocking over my bureau in the process. I couldn't help but think, over and over: _I am the lost princess, I am the lost princess, I am the lost princess. _And finally, I understood that if I was the lost princess, then the woman who brought me up wasn't my true mother at all. In fact, if what Eugene had said was true, then she had been the one who had stolen me away, all those years ago.

And once I realized that, I felt myself becoming very angry at my so-called mother. No, not angry. Beyond angry. I was_ furious_. You know, dear listener, I didn't (and still don't) become mad that easily. So you have to believe me when I say that I had never been more livid in my entire life. Now, I remembered all her warnings about people who would use me for my power, that she just wanted to keep me safe, and all along it had been a lie that she had made up so I would stay in the tower and she could remain young forever. And I recalled all the times I had put up with her so-called teasing, her constant over-protectiveness, her condescending and degrading remarks, because….I had thought that she was my mother. And she wasn't.

"Rapunzel!" I heard her call, her footsteps echoing on the stairs. But I had no interest in responding. "Rapunzel, what's going on up there? Are you all right?"

I stumbled out of my room. "I'm the lost princess," I said softly.

She sighed, clearly annoyed. "Please speak up, Rapunzel. You know how I hate the mumbling."

_Yes, I know. And don't worry, I _won't _do it again. _I straightened up, and took a deep breath. "_I am_ the lost princess. Aren't I?" I repeated, very loudly and clearly this time.

Her eyes widened in shock. And by shock, I don't mean Oh-Rapunzel-I-Had-No-Idea-This-Entire-Time. No, I mean Oh-Rapunzel-I-Never-Wanted-You-To-Find-Out-Because-I-Wanted-To-Keep-You-In-This-Tower. Yeah. She knew perfectly well what I meant, and I could tell that she was alarmed. Because how could she keep me under her thumb now?

"Did I mumble, Mother?" I said, with my eyes narrowed. "Or should I even call you that?"

Her face continued to be alarmed, but then she composed herself once more, taking on her previous role of all-knowing mother. "Oh, Rapunzel," she said, as she walked up the stairs. "Do you even hear yourself? Why would you ask a _ridiculous _question?" She even attempted to hug me.

_I didn't ask _you _anything. And my question was _not _ridiculous_. I pushed her away, still angry. "It was you! It was all _you_!" I exclaimed.

Now her eyes narrowed. "Everything I did was to protect you," she said, her voice cold as ice.

_Protect me? From what? People who would use me for my hair? Like you, yourself? For my whole life?_ I shoved her in my fury, and walked down the stairs. "I've spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my power…"

"Rapunzel!" she cut in, very loudly.

_And we're back to the interrupting_._ You still can't let me finish_ one_ sentence of my own_. _How _dare_ you?_ My heart began to pound furiously and I turned toward her. "….And I should have been hiding from…._you_!"

"Where will you go?" she inquired. "He won't be there for you."

My heart dropped down to my feet. It didn't take somebody brilliant to figure out who she meant by _he_. She was talking about Eugene. And I found that, even though he had broken my heart, I wanted him to be safe. Because I still cared about him. "What did you do to him?" I asked, dread filling my veins.

"That criminal is to be hanged for his crimes," she said.

_Hanged? Eugene?_ My heart felt sick with horror. "No!" I gasped.

She came over close to me. "Now, now," she said comfortingly. "It's all right." _No, it's not_. "Listen to me. All of this is as it should be." She then tried to pat me on the head.

But I wouldn't let her. I was through with her condescending games, tricks, and most of all her deception. No, this was not as it should be. She tried to make me believe that the world was cruel so I wouldn't leave her tower. When in reality, although the outside world did have its black spots, it was better than staying with her, being fed her lies, just so she could remain young forever. She was dead wrong about the world, and she was dead wrong about me if she thought I was going to cower before her again.

I gripped her wrist before it could touch my hair. "_No_," I said firmly. "You were _wrong _about the world, and you were _wrong_ about me. And I will _never_ let you use my hair again." During my speech, she attempted to get away, but I held her tightly. Once I finished, I released her and she fell into one of mirrors, knocking it to the floor. I gave her one final glare, and then I began to walk away from her, wondering what I should do, where I should go. Obviously staying with her wasn't an option.

I heard her mutter something about being the bad guy, but I can't tell you exactly what happened after that. Because suddenly I felt pain in my head and I slumped to the floor. And then everything truly did go black.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"She better liked to see him free and happy, even than to have him near her, because she loved him better than herself."

-Charles Dickens, _Barnaby Rudge_

When I regained consciousness, I felt a gag around my mouth, and chains across my wrists. I immediately tried to break free, even though I knew it wasn't likely. Then, _she_ was in my face.

"Now, now," she said contemptuously. "None of that." Instantly, I felt fury course through my veins once more and I glared at her. _I can't believe I ever considered her to be my mother! Why, she's horrible!_

I realized she was talking to me again. "Now, don't worry, Mother's going to take you…" Suddenly, she stopped, as if she was listening for something. I tried as well, and then I heard what I thought I would never hear again-Eugene's voice.

"Rapunzel!" he called desperately. "Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

Her face twisted itself into a sneer, and she walked over toward the window. Looking out, she said, "It looks like we have a slight problem with my plan."

Eugene? A…_problem?_ Not to me, he wasn't. Not if he was here to rescue me. I attempted to say as much through my gag.

She rolled her eyes. "But don't worry, dear," she said menacingly. "I can take care of him." And she pulled out a dagger from her cloak. Instantly, I knew what her plan was, and my eyes widened in fear_. No, no, no, no! _I _couldn't_ let her do that to him. I tried to wrestle myself free with renewed energy, but to no avail. I watched in dismay as she draped my hair out the window, and the sounds of Eugene climbing up echoed in the tower. As she hid in the darkness, I felt more than saw, her pleased look. I felt anger adding itself to my fear. _She knows how much he means to me, but she doesn't care. She'll kill him anyway. How could she do that to me? Do all our years together mean nothing? _The seconds ticked by agonizingly slow. I wished with all my might that I could somehow warn Eugene, tell him not to come up.

But he did. "Rapunzel," he said, relieved. "I thought I'd never see you again." His eyes widened in horror when he saw my predicament. _No, Eugene! Don't worry about me! Just get out of here!_ I tried to warn him about her plan through my gag, but he didn't understand me. I watched, in complete terror, as she stabbed him with her dagger. Immediately, he slumped to the floor, his hands clutching his side. I screamed in alarm through my gag, trying even harder to free myself. _How could he survive that? _I glanced over at my "mother", stunned that she had actually followed through with her plan.

She looked dismayed, but I could see right through her act. "Now, look what you've done, Rapunzel." _What _I _had done?_ I strained against my bonds, determined to liberate myself. My eyes traveled from my mother to Eugene lying on the floor of the tower, groaning in pain. My heart ached for him, and I wished that I do something to help.

She walked over to me and unchained me from the wall. "Oh, don't worry, dear. Our secret will die with him." My heart turned black at the word _die_-black with fear for Eugene and black with anger at my "mother"._ No_, I screamed internally. _No!_ I fought even harder to reach him.

"And as for us," she continued as she dragged me toward the trapdoor. "We are going where no one will ever find you again." I struggled with all my might against her, straining to reach Eugene. Pascal, ever my loyal friend, tried to stop her, but she brutally kicked him aside. That was a mistake on her part-all it did was make me, fueled by my anger, fight her even more. I wouldn't go with her, not now, not ever. Not when she had lied to me about everything. Not when she had brutally stabbed Eugene.

"Enough, already," she ordered. "Stop-Fighting-Me!"

Somehow, through all my thrashing about, my gag had fallen from my mouth. And I found my voice. "_No_," I said angrily as I sat on the floor. "I won't stop. For every minute of the rest of my life, I will fight! I will never stop trying to get away from you!"

Her eyes were full of ire and I could tell that she was about to pull me toward the trapdoor again. In that instant, I realized what I had to do: As much as I didn't want to live with her, as much as I had grown to despise her, and as much as I wanted to fight her, I found that I had to go with her. Because I knew, deep down in my heart, that I loved Eugene more than I loved my freedom, more than I loved my own life, more than I loved my own _soul._ Even though he had betrayed me, I couldn't do the same to him. And I couldn't let him die. Not without trying to heal him first.

"But…." I said, gazing straight into her eyes. "If you let me save him, I will go with you." Her hold on my chains relaxed slightly. She was thinking about what I said.

"No," Eugene groaned in protest. "No, Rapunzel."

As hard as it was, I ignored him. I had already made up my mind. "I'll never run, I'll never try to escape. Just let me heal him and you and I will be together. Forever! Just the way you want. Everything will be the way it was!" I took a deep breath, because I knew what I had to say next. "I…promise." _You know that when I make a promise I never break it. Ever_. And I wouldn't break this one, even though I knew it would tear my heart in half. "Just like you want. Just let me heal him."

Her hold on my chains completely relaxed and I knew she was going to agree.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Once Mother had relented, she quickly released me from my chains, putting one of them on Eugene instead.

"Just in case you get any ideas about following us," she snarled.

I rushed over to his side. "Eu-Eugene!" _My poor Eugene._ His skin was almost white now, his cries of pain even more frequent. I cradled his head in my hands, trying to somehow ease the pain with my touch. His hand continued to be pressed to his side, but I knew I had to see it if I was going to be able to heal him.

Gently, I moved his hand to reveal the wound. I sharply inhaled. _It's even worse than I thought._ Beneath his green vest was his white shirt. Almost completely stained with red blood. Part of me wondered if I could even heal it because I had never attempted anything remotely like that kind of wound before. But I had to try. "Oh, I'm so sorry," I said. "Everything's going to be fine though." _I hope. _

Knowing that time was of the essence, I quickly put some of my hair onto the wound_. If I don't do something soon, he'll die anyway. _But he pushed my hand away. "No, Rapunzel."

I tried again to put my hair on the wound. "I promise. You just have to trust me."

"No," he protested, shoving my hand aside.

I realized that I needed to calm him down, because the pain must be driving him half mad. I raised my eyes to his, wishing that his face wasn't quite so contorted with sheer agony. "Come on, just breathe," I said, my voice calm and assuring.

He gazed at me, with anguish in his eyes. "I can't let you do this."

My heart ached for both of us. "And I can't let you die." For all the freedom in the world, there was no chance that I would let my dear Eugene die.

His eyes turned sorrowful. "But if you do this…."

Knowing that he was riling himself up again, I gently placed my hand on his face. "Shh…"

"Then you will die," he finished, through labored breaths. Straight away, I knew what he meant. Physically I might survive, but when I lived with her it would be like a living death for me, emotionally and mentally. But I knew that that it didn't matter. Not now. All that was important was that he _lived._ "Hey. It's going to be all right."

He smiled feebly. Relieved that he had stopped fighting me, I closed my eyes, ready to sing the incantation. _I need all my concentration for this one. _But before I could do anything, I heard him weakly say "Rapunzel, wait." I opened my eyes, wondering what he was going to say. He gently caressed my cheek, like he had on the boat, and I (as strange as it sounds) thought he might kiss me: One kiss before we had to leave each other forever.

But that's not what he did. Not at all. Instead of a loving kiss, he reached behind my head and completely cut my hair, straight through, with a shard of glass. And, as if it had taken the last of his energy, he collapsed to the floor.

Astonished, I put my hand to my hair. "Eugene…what?" My head felt seventy feet lighter, but I could actually feel my hair start to shrivel up and turn a dead brown. I held some of it in my hands, staring at it in shock, as the brown began to spread. And I realized that my chance at saving Eugene was gone. My heart began to ache again.

As extreme as my own reaction was, it was nothing compared to my "mother's." As soon as my hair turned brown, she gathered it up, completely horrified. "No! No!" Before my very eyes, she became ancient, with white hair and wrinkled skin. "What have you done? What have you done?" she cried. She ran over to the broken mirror, and to me, she saw herself truly in that moment: an old, decrepit, and hurtful woman. But some cannot see themselves as they really are. She could not, and she pulled her cloak over her head, wailing "No" over and over again.

To be honest, even now I'm still not sure what happened next. Because one minute she was in the tower, and the next she was falling out of it. I have my suspicions that Pascal did something, but I would never know for sure, because he never would tell me. But instinctively, I reached out to her, as if I could somehow bring her back into the tower. Of course, I couldn't, and she tumbled to the ground. _She's gone_, I realized with deep breaths. _She's gone._ The woman I believed had been my mother was gone. I think I might have grieved more, but I immediately remembered Eugene and I turned once again to his side.

He was completely white now, and his chest rose and fell with very shallow breaths. I realized that his life had almost bled out of him and he was on the verge of death. But I couldn't just sit there, and do nothing. I cradled his head in my lap. "No, no, no, no, no! Eugene…" I cried. _Don't be dead! _ He coughed, and his eyes opened for an instant. I lovingly stroked his face, as if I could magically bring him back. "No, look at me!" I pleaded. His eyes remained shut. _Don't leave me! Don't leave me to love alone! Don't go somewhere that I can't! _"Don't go! Stay with me, Eugene," I begged. In desperation, I took one of his lifeless hands and placed it on my hair, even though I knew the magic was gone. "Flower gleam and glow," I sang futilely.

Suddenly, I felt his hand stroke my own. "Rapunzel…"

"Let you power…shine" I choked out, feeling utter grief begin to overwhelm me.

"Hey…" he said, and I knew he was trying to get my attention. But I couldn't. Not until I tried to sing the incantation.

"Make the clock reverse, bring back what once was mine" I finished desperately.

He gently drew my face toward him with his hand. "Rapunzel…"

A sob rose up in my throat. Would it be the last time I heard him say that? "What?"

"You were my new dream" he whispered, his eyes barely open.

` And as he said that, I felt my already wounded heart break in half. Because I knew he was saying goodbye to me. Tears of grief welled up in my eyes. "And you were mine." His eyes drifted shut, and he breathed one last, final breath. Then, he went completely limp in my arms.

And I knew that it was over.

Eugene- my dear, beloved Eugene -was gone.


	19. The Miracle

A/N: I'm actually...quite pleased with this chapter! I really really like it. And I hope you do too.

As I'm sure you know, I'm nearing the end of my story. :( I know, I'm sad too. I'm going to miss Eugene and Rapunzel a lot.

There will be around two chapters after this, and then the Epilogue. And then it will be done and I'll be back in school. Crazy!

I do appreciate and read all you reviews! thank you so much!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 18-The Miracle**_

"Love has no age, no limit; and no death."

-John Galsworthy_, The Forsyte Saga_

"Where there is great love, there are always miracles."

-Willa Cather

I don't know how long I stayed like that-Eugene's lifeless body in my arms. It could have been minutes. Or it could have been hours. I doubt I'll ever know. Because I generally do not like revisiting this event in my life. So all I can tell you is that I remained seated in tower, with his head in my lap, for quite some time. I knew, deep in my heart, that I could….technically go to the King and Queen, my….parents. But I couldn't bear to leave him quite yet. I gently ran my hand across and around his face, trying to memorize every single contour of it. I felt my heart ache in sorrow, and I knew that he had taken part of it with him, wherever he had gone.

Now I'm sure that you expect me to say that I began to sob. You would think that I would have immediately wept. But I didn't. I know, it is surprising to me too, even now. All I can say is that I hurt too much to cry, I was too numb with grief to do anything but think. I thought about each minute that we had ever spent together, and I repeated them over and over in my mind until every lock of his hair, every facial expression, every look in his eyes was exactly as I remembered it:

When I had first saw him, unconscious, in my tower

How he had first introduced himself to me with that suave wink and smirk

His strange…. "smolder" face

His teasing of me when I told him that I had named my frying pan

His kindness when I argued with myself about leaving the tower

His compliment of me when we were in the tunnel beneath the Snuggly Duckling

How he had smiled at me for the first time

When he had told me his real name

The compassion in his eyes when I told him about my hair

The sadness I had seen in him when he told me about his family

The way he had looked at me when he saw my hair braided with flowers

His cheek next to mine when he gave me the purple piece of fabric with a golden sun on it

His arms around me when we danced together in the square

How he had said my name tenderly on the lake

Our almost kiss

And lastly, how he said that I was his new dream right before he died

As soon as I remembered that, something unlocked within in me, and I knew that tears wouldn't be far behind. Because I realized that-regardless of whatever had happened yesterday-he still loved me, so much so that he would have rather died himself than let me live in bondage. He felt the same way about me that I did about him and he dreamed of us, just like I did. But it was too late now. Too late for a future together. I was doomed to love alone. Her knife had seen to that. My heart throbbed with loneliness for him.

And even though I knew it was hopeless, I found myself singing softly the second half of the incantation:

_Heal what has been hurt_

_Change the fate's design_

_Save what has been lost_

_Bring back what once was mine_

_What once was mine_

I brought my face close to his, and a single tear trickled out from one of my eyes onto his cheek. Because I knew that what had been lost wouldn't be saved, what I once had wouldn't be brought back. My love was gone, and no amount of singing would return him to me. The tears began to flow even faster, and I finally began to weep in complete grief. _Oh, Eugene, why did you have to leave me?_

I don't know how long I cried, but eventually I became aware of golden glow start to shine from his wound. I watched, in complete amazement, as the light began to fill the room, bathing both of us in its radiance. My eyes widened in astonishment as it suddenly turned into the shape of a great flower_. What in the world? _The flower fell back down to his chest, and I stared at it, as the wound began to fade away, then disappear completely. Like it had never happened.

Hope rose within me. _Could it be possible? Could he really come back to me?_ I tentatively reached a hand out to touch his chest. And I felt something that I didn't think I would ever feel again-his heart beating. I tried not to rile myself up with happiness, and so I gazed into his face once more._ I have to make sure. _

His eyes fluttered open. "Rapunzel?"

I inhaled sharply. _Was I dreaming his voice? Maybe I had fallen asleep, and this was all a nice dream… ._"Eugene?" I whispered tentatively.

The-person-who-might-be-Eugene breathed. "Did I ever tell you I've got a thing for brunettes?" he said with a smile.

And then I knew it was him. It was my Eugene. Because no one else would say something that ridiculous after they had _died_. I threw my arms around him, gleefully. "Eugene!" He gently pulled me onto his lap, and buried his head in my shoulder, like he couldn't bear to leave me, like I was a treasure he couldn't lose. Complete joy welled up inside me. _He's back! My love was back! _ I pulled away for a moment, because I wanted to see his eyes once more. They were just as beautifully brown as I had remembered, and they shined with total love for me. I laughed, because I was giddy with happiness now. I then very impulsively pulled him toward me by his collar, and kissed him earnestly. He seemed quite surprised at first, but then his hand cupped the back of my head and he returned my kiss rather….enthusiastically. And I felt the pieces of my heart, that had been broken by him, bring themselves back together again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After we finished our kiss, I knew it was time to talk. I had questions for him, and I needed to tell him about my revelation too.

"Eugene," I said. "I have a question for you."

He seemed more interested in kissing me again than in any questions. "Yes, it would be my pleasure to kiss you." He cupped my face in his hands.

I shoved his hands away. "Eugene! Do be serious!"

He smirked, and I felt my insides melt. "I am. I'm serious about kissing you."

Although I wanted to kiss him again too, this wasn't the time for it. _Maybe another deal is in order…. _"All right, _Eugene Fitzherbert,_ I'm prepared to offer you a deal."

His eyes began to sparkle, and I knew he remembered, like I did, the last time I had said that-the day we met. "And what is that?" he asked.

I smiled. "You answer my questions, and then you can kiss me again. That is my deal."

He pretended to consider, and stroked his chin. "Hmmm…okay."

_That was so much easier than the last time._ "Great." I took a deep breath, because this wouldn't be an easy question for me to ask, or for him to answer. "So….what happened to you last night?" I asked hesitantly.

His expression changed instantly-from playfulness to gravity in a matter of seconds. And somehow I had the feeling whatever had happened wasn't good. "Well," he said at last. "I took the satchel because I wanted to give it back to my partners. I didn't want it anymore. I had found something….much better." He gave me a meaningful look, and I knew he was talking about me. I was more special to him than any crown ever would be. My heart warmed deep inside me. "But-" he said.

I knew he had reached the crux of the matter. And it was bad. "But.." I encouraged.

His expression darkened, and I could tell that remembering this made him angry. I could further tell that he was not somebody whom you wanted to see mad. Because it would not be pretty. "But they didn't want it," he said finally, his eyes shifting away from me. "They wanted _you_ instead. Your….mother had told them about your hair."

My stomach turned to cold knots. _My…"mother" had told them? She was even more heartless and uncaring than I thought! _"My…" I breathed, unable to say anything further.

He met my eyes again. "Yes. I tried to somehow…talk them out of it, but they overcame me. Knocked me out. The next thing I knew I was tied to a boat, the crown in my hands. And far from you," he said with regret.

In that moment, I realized he had never intended to leave me at all, had never been the one who had betrayed me. It was my so-called mother once again. Would the list of her lies never end? "And then what happened?" I asked softly.

"Then….the guards found me, put me in prison. I paced all night, because I was so worried about you. In the morning, they…were going to hang me. Did you know that?" he said, shaking his head. His eyes shifted away from me again.

My heart went out to him. This was _not_ easy for him, and I almost felt guilty for asking. But I had to know. "Yes, I knew that," I whispered. "But you must have gotten away somehow or you wouldn't be here."

He held my eyes once more. "The thugs from the Snuggly Duckling broke me out. Max told them what happened. I rode him straight to you, as fast as I could."

Even though I knew this was a solemn time, I couldn't help a slight smile. Maximus had helped him out! "I told you he was a good horse."

His eyes began to lose the some of the ruefulness. "Yeah, yeah," he said, his tone light. "Try not to gloat too much about that.

My eyes twinkled. "Oh, I won't."

Then his expression turned grave again, and he took my hands in his own. "But, Rapunzel, they're still after me."

My reaction to that was threefold- part said so what, part said it doesn't matter to me, and the last part….realized that if I indeed was the princess I could possibly do something about his situation. "Well," I began. "I may be able to help you with that."

His eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

_I guess now's as good a time as any to tell him about me. Hopefully, he won't….freak out too much. _"Well, since you've been nice enough to tell me about what happened to you," I said. "Then I should tell you about something that happened to _me_."

His face turned into an expression that I was quite familiar with-his nonplussed look. "Okay_…"_

_Hmm. He looks like he did when I told him about my hair. _"I have…something I want to tell you. And don't…freak out, okay?"

Then, he gave me his "why would I freak out" look again.

_Why do I feel like I've done this before? Oh, maybe because I have. _I took a deep breath. "Eugene….I'm the lost princess."

Dear listener, do you remember how he looked when my hair glowed, when I told him about my hair? Well, multiply them by about a thousand, and you might get close to what he looked like then. He was more than surprised, more than dumbfounded, more than incredulous, more than shocked. His mouth dropped open, and his eyes were so wide I was afraid they would pop out of their sockets. "What?" he managed to say finally.

I sighed. I_ knew_ he was going to freak out. For somebody who could be so unpredictable, he was pretty predictable when it came to me revealing secrets about myself. He always acted the same: completely bewildered. "I am the lost princess," I repeated.

More wide eyes and open mouth. "_What_?"

"I'm the lost princess," I said again.

Still no change_. "What?"_

I regret to tell you that I became…a little impatient then. "Eugene!" I barked. "Do I need to hit you with Hesty again? I'm telling you, I _am_ the lost princess!" _Never mind that Hesty is still somewhere in Maximus' saddlebags. _

He shut his mouth, and his eyes went back into their sockets. "Okay," he said, almost calmly. "So _you're_ the lost princess."

_Finally. _"Yes," I affirmed.

To my amazement, he almost…smirked then. "Well," he said smartly. "That's no surprise."

_Uh-huh, riiight. Then what was that little freak out about?_ "Oh, really?" I asked tartly.

His eyes began to twinkle and a smile spread across his face. "Yeah. You've always been a princess to me."

I let out a groan, while he laughed. _It's a good thing I love you so much, Eugene! Otherwise I'd slug you right now. _

XXXXXXXXXXXX

I am pleased to tell you that we both behaved _much_ better after that. Well, maybe one of us did. Once he informed me that I needed to fulfill my end of the deal and I complied; we left the tower for the last time on Maximus. And I won't lie and tell you that it was completely easy. Because it wasn't. It had been my home for 18 years, and I was a little sad to leave it. But I was happy to be with Eugene again and was excited about the possibility of reuniting with my parents. We enjoyed the rest of the day together with some of our other friends. Can you guess who they were? Yes, we went back to The Snuggly Duckling. Are you surprised? We actually had a lovely time there, and I thanked them profusely for rescuing Eugene. They shrugged it off, but I could tell that they were pleased.

Anyway, after our visit, if you can believe it, the sun was low in the sky and Eugene told me we would have to camp out again. But I wasn't anything other than pleased. Because the last time we did that, it was one of the best nights of my life. And how could this one be any different?


	20. The Second Campfire

A/N: Next to last chapter! :) I hope you like this one. I enjoyed writing it, because Eugene and Rapunzel, the couple, are so fun to write.

Thank you to all who have read my story! you are awesome

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled

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_**Chapter 19-The Second Campfire**_

"I have had dreams and I have had nightmares, but I have conquered my nightmares because of my dreams."  
-Jonas Salk

Can you guess where we camped that night? Yes, indeed, we stayed in the very same spot that we did the night before last. And even though many things had changed since then, some did not. For instance, Eugene's ability (or _in_ability) to successfully light a fire on the first try. Oh, how he grumbled and grunted and growled in frustration! And I'm sorry to say that this time I couldn't help but laugh. Until tears came out of my eyes. I couldn't help it; he just looked so funny!

He scowled at me (but even that was completely amusing). "Hey, how would _you_ like to do this?" he complained.

I wiped tears from my eyes. "Oh, all right," I said. "I'll try to do it this time."

His scowl vanished, and a smug smirk replaced it. "Oh, go ahead," he told me, handing me the flint. "Enjoy. You'll find it's not as simple as you think it is."

I took it from him, and settled next to the firewood. "Thank _you_", I said politely. I took the flint, and carefully struck it next to the kindling. A small flame flickered from the wood, and it gradually grew into a crackling fire. A bubble of triumph rose within me. _Ha! _I glanced over at Eugene. He seemed completely bewildered that I had lit it on the first try. I felt laughter overcome me once more. "You're right," I guffawed. "It isn't as simple as I thought it would be. It's _simpler!_"

"Yeah, yeah," he said, in good humor. "Are you ready to eat, then, Miss Pyro?"

I smiled. "Why yes, I think I am."

And so we did, most pleasantly.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After we finished, we sat next to each other silently, watching the fire sizzle. You might be surprised that we were quiet then, but I think we had a lot on our minds. For me, I was thinking about the next day-when I would see my first parents for the first time in years, who also happened to be the king and queen. I found that I was only a_ trifle _anxious about it. I mean, what if the guards didn't believe or listen to me? What would I do then?

And Eugene, as I'm sure you can imagine, was only _slightly_ nervous about returning to the capital of Corona-where he was supposed to be hanged. You know what's amazing about him? Well, of course, there are _many_ amazing things about him. Like his smile, his quick wit, his street smarts, his overall charm, his sparkling eyes, his….Oh! Sorry. At any rate, what I was trying to say was one of the amazing thing about him was his ability to not die. Think about it. In the short time I'd known Eugene, he had managed to cheat death no less than three times. And that was only in a couple of days! Can you imagine how many times he might escape it in a _year_? But anyway, he still was a wanted thief who was supposed to be executed, and he was going back to the place where it could easily happen. Suffice to say, we both had a few things on our minds.

But eventually, the silence was broken. "What are you thinking about?" he asked me.

I sighed heavily. "I'm thinking about tomorrow." _And meeting my_…parents_._

I watched as the fire made shadows flicker across his face. "Me too," he said.

I forced a slight smile, because I didn't want him to worry about me. He had done enough of that already. "And?"

"And…." I heard him sigh. "It would make any other man very…anxious." His tone suddenly changed to one I recognized when I had first met him, one that I hadn't heard in quite some time: his bravado, I'm so strong, no one can touch me voice. "But of course Flynn Ri-"

I immediately interrupted him. Flynn Rider, my foot. He _was_ scared about tomorrow, and he was putting up his Flynn persona to cover it up. Because he didn't want to admit it. Men! "Eugene, stop it."

He glanced at me, with a puzzled look. But I knew _he _knew what I was talking about. "Stop what?" he asked.

It was my turn to sigh. "You know very well what I mean," I said. "Stop with the whole Flynn Rider act."

Now, he actually looked confused. "What?"

I held his eyes with my own. "Eugene," I said. "I'm going to tell you something now, and you don't have to say anything right away. I just want you to start thinking about it. Okay?"

A baffled glint still appeared in his eyes. "Okay…."

I inhaled deeply and then began. "Please don't ever feel like you have to….pretend with me. If Eugene feels a certain way, don't let _Flynn_ cover it up. I want you to be honest with me, and don't worry that it will change the way I feel about you. Because it won't. All right?"

Throughout my speech, I felt him tense up beside me and his eyes wandered over to the fire. He was silent for a long moment. "All right," he said at last.

_Oh,_ _Eugene, don't you know that I fell in love with the Eugene part of you, not necessarily the Flynn part? Don't _ever_ mistake the two._ I wanted to say that, but all I actually said was "Good."

Another silence descended, one that wasn't as comfortable as the first. That one had been…almost companionable. This one was more heavy-like it could drown us with its weight. I kept darting glances at Eugene, but he continued to stare at the fire. _He isn't…mad at me, is he?_ Somehow I couldn't imagine him angry with me about….anything, but the quiet began to trouble me. I was about to say something- like are we okay- but then he looked back over at me with a grin.

"So," he said brightly. "Are you ready to become a princess tomorrow?"

I let out a relieved giggle. _He _wasn'_t mad. _"Uh…yes. I guess so."

He smiled broadly. "Good! Well, Princess, if you're going to wow everyone tomorrow, then you'd better get some beauty sleep."

An unladylike snort escaped me, and I felt myself warm inside because he was starting to tease me again. "Are you saying I'm not beautiful now?" I asked sweetly.

He glanced at me, with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Well, actually..." he began.

I swatted his shoulder playfully. "Eugene!"

He laughed. "I'm kidding!" Then he turned toward me, and took my hands gently in his own. And I had a happy feeling I knew what was going to happen next. My heart quickened, as his eyes took on that tender look that I loved. "You know I think you're absolutely beautiful," he said, as he softly caressed my cheek.

I felt utter giddiness rise up inside me. I loved it when he did that! "Even as a brunette?" I whispered.

He smiled."Especially as a brunette." His hand cupped the back of my head, and then he kissed me very affectionately.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

After that, we both decided to get some sleep. Of course, he fell asleep immediately, and I heard him snore softly. I smiled contentedly, staring up at the twinkling stars in the sky. And at that instant, I felt as happy as I had ever been. Soon, I turned over on my side, and I felt myself drift off to sleep, hoping I would dream about my love….

_My eyes opened rapidly, and I discovered that the darkness I saw wasn't the darkness of the forest at all. Where was I? I glanced around, and soon I realized that one of my hands was chained to the wall. A horrified shudder racked my body. I was back in the tower! _

_ Soon, my "mother's" face appeared in front of my own. "Don't worry, dear," she said. "I can take care of him." A dagger appeared from out of her cloak. A feeling of dread came over me. She was going to kill Eugene! I attempted to rid myself of the chain, and stop her, but I knew that I couldn't. What was I going to do? This time, I immediately thought of my hair. I can use my hair and stop him from dying! That is what I would do. _

_ Eventually, Eugene's face appeared in the tower window. "Rapunzel," he said. "I thought I'd never see you again." His eyes widened as he saw me chained to the wall, and he started toward me. _

_ But "Mother's" dagger found him first. I watched as he slumped to the floor, but I didn't panic. Not this time. "It's all right, Eugene," I said. "I can heal you with my hair." _

_ Unexpectedly, she laughed. "Are you sure about that?" I, confused, reached up to touch my head. Stunned, I found that my hair had already been cut. I couldn't heal Eugene! The magic was gone._

_ She cackled wickedly. And then, suddenly, everything seemed to rewind-Eugene came back into the tower, and I could only watch in horror as she stabbed him again. And again. And again…._

_ "No!" I screamed, now completely terrified. "NO!"_

"Rapunzel!"

Still half in my dream, I kept muttering "no, no" over and over. And then something was shaking me, calling my name. I finally managed to crack one eye open, wondering what was happening.

Eugene's hands were on my shoulders, his worried eyes staring at me. I blinked in surprise. I wasn't in the tower anymore, but back in the woods. With a very alive and concerned looking Eugene -a whole Eugene who hadn't been stabbed repeatedly, who would eventually bleed to death. He was safe! He was still with me! With a reassured cry, I threw my arms around and buried my head in his chest. He was_ alive_! Sobs of relief shook my body. Eugene _wasn't _dying!

He gently wrapped his arms around me, and his hand stroked my hair. "Everything's going to be fine," he assured me. I knew that he was right, that my so called mother couldn't harm either of us ever again, but I couldn't help my tears. They just kept coming and coming. I soon realized that I was crying because of more than just the nightmare-I cried because although she turned out to be...a witch, the women who had raised me was gone. I cried because I had left my tower, the only home I had ever known. I cried because Eugene had almost left me. And I cried because I was nervous about meeting my parents and living in an entirely new place.

Eugene held me the entire time, whispering words of comfort in my ear. Eventually, my tears stopped. "Thank you, Eugene," I said shakily.

He softly kissed my hair, and then drew me away from a minute so he could look into my eyes. "Mmm. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

My first reaction was to say no-I didn't want to worry him, but I knew he would worry more if I didn't. "I was….back in the tower. With…_her_. And…I had to watch her stab you…over and over and over…" Tears began to fall again, even though I tried to hold them back. "It was awful."

As soon as I had said "I was back in the tower," he had taken me into his arms again, and I could hear him now angrily mutter something-like if she wasn't already dead, he would strangle her with his bare hands.

I stopped crying when I heard that because it was such a Eugene thing to say. I felt myself smiling through my tears. "I have no doubts about that," I said softly.

He pulled away to look in my eyes again, and I could see some of the worry leave his eyes. "Oh, good," he said, quite relieved. "You sound like Rapunzel again."

I almost laughed because it was so ridiculous."Of course I sound like Rapunzel, you goof. I _am _Rapunzel."

He smiled sheepishly. "I know, but…" His eyes took on a concerned look once more. "The way you were screaming…crying…..I was really worried about you."

I smiled back. He was _so _sweet! "Well, thank you. But I think I might be all right now. And I'm ready for more beauty sleep."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

I'm sure you can imagine what I will say next. You're right, he didn't believe me at all. In fact, he insisted that I stay awake longer. And I did, because he had been so nice to me. Eventually, though, I grew tired and I finally convinced him to let me go back to sleep. I am pleased to tell you that I had no more worries that night. I can't say the same for Eugene though, because he worried about me the entire night. But I can tell you that he went back to sleep. How do I know? I woke up once more that night, with his arm around me, his breath soft in my ear. And he was snoring. So, I think it's pretty safe to say that he did.

As for me? Well, I drifted back to sleep too, with a happy smile on my face. Ready for our next adventure.


	21. The Reunion

A/N: Last chapter! Only the epilogue left ;( I'm kind of sad about it. But I do have a few ideas for a sequel, and maybe if I have time, I'll keep writing about Eugene and Rapunzel. Because i wuvs them :)

I hope you like this chapter.

Thank you to all of you who have been loyally following this story. You guys are amazing!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Chapter 20-The Reunion**_

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessing."

-Unknown

As you can probably imagine, Eugene and I didn't dilly-dally the next morning. No, as soon as we were both awake, we broke camp and, because we wanted to save time, we both rode on Maximus. He was such a dear about it, too. I can't think that carrying both of us would be that pleasant, but he did it without one word of complaint. You know, he really is such a good horse and I think one of the most well-named horses that I've ever meet. Maximus means greatest, and it describes him perfectly- he is an outstandingly superior and skillful horse. What other horse do you know who would have tracked Eugene like that? None, of course.

Once we reached the capital of Corona (which actually does have a name-Caermor), I have to tell you that we were both quite silent as we drew closer to the castle. I grew increasingly nervous about meeting the king and queen, who were my….parents, and Eugene, of course, was hoping that he wouldn't finish the day at the end of a noose. I kept assuring him that as the Princess of Corona I should be able to something, but I think part of him didn't believe me. Which doesn't make any sense, when you think about it. I mean, if I'm the princess, I should be to convince my parents not to execute my beau. Right?

Anyway, as we rode to the castle, the silence ended. And Eugene, as usual, was the one to break it.

"So….are you ready for this?" he asked me.

Part of me wanted to joke back and say "are you?", but I knew that his question was serious and therefore deserved a serious answer. "Yes…." I said. He shot a surprised look in my direction. "And no," I finished.

"That was more of what I was expecting," he said knowingly.

A smile crept across my face. Although this was a somber occasion, I couldn't resist another urge to mock him. "Oh, really?" I quipped. "And how did you know that, oh wise Solomon?"

He smirked. "Now you have it right-I _am_ the knower of all things that there are to know." I laughed. I loved it when we teased each other.

He chuckled too, but then his expression took on a more somber look. "But more seriously, Rapunzel, I knew that because I know _you_."

I felt my insides warm. "So you can tell me what I'm thinking right now?"

"Of course. Like you said, I'm Solomon."

I laughed again in delight. This witty banter was so fun! "And what am I thinking?"

He seemed to ponder my question for a moment and stroked his chin. I recognized it as an act though, because I knew _him._ "Hmmm," he said finally. "Well, part of you is thrilled to be reunited with your family at last."

He was right. "And the other part?"

"The other part is scared to death," he said.

He was right about that, too. I sighed heavily. I _was _scared, even though I knew I shouldn't be. Why should I be nervous about meeting my _parents_? Especially when I had heard nothing about how good and kind both of them were? But, I supposed, our feelings can't always be explained by logic. I wasn't just nervous about seeing them though. Since they were the king and queen, that meant I was a princess. And I didn't know anything about being one.

Eugene interrupted my thoughts. "But you know something, Rapunzel?"

I sighed again. "What?"

He smiled at me over his shoulder. "I know you're nervous about becoming a princess too. But you shouldn't be. You act like one already."

My heart warmed at his words. "Thank you."

Silence descended once more, and we finally reached the castle doors. With many guards in front of it who had clearly recognized Eugene as Flynn Rider. I sighed a third time. _This will be very interesting…._

The guards ran over to us, and, completely ignoring me and Maximus, began to arrest Eugene. Again. And as they did, Eugene threw, what I can only classify as a panicked look, in my direction. I have to tell you that I did think about hitting them with Hesty to make them stop, but that didn't seem like a princess-y thing to do. So I used something else instead.

I walked right up to the man I recognized as the Captain and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me," I said.

He glared at me, clearly annoyed. "What do you want? Can't you see that I'm busy arresting the most wanted thief in all of Corona?"

I crossed my arms over my chest. "Yes, I see that. But I wouldn't do that if I were you."

His expression changed from annoyance to amusement. "Oh really? And who are you to tell me what I should do?"

I smiled. He had, unknowingly, given me the perfect way to announce myself. I nonchalantly stared at my fingernails. "Oh, no one special," I said. The Captain sneered at me again and I grinned even more broadly. "Just Rapunzel. Just the lost princess of Corona."

As soon as I said that, the Captain and his cronies looked as surprised as if I_ had_ actually hit them with Hesty. They were absolutely speechless. Eugene, on the other hand, beamed. I could tell that he liked how I had told them. We both exchanged happy looks with each other, until the Captain finally regained his voice. I watched patiently as he and his fellow guards began to consult quietly with one another. I didn't hear the whole conversation but I did hear snippets: _How do we know she's….lost princess…she does look the right age….but the Princess had blonde hair…did you see her eyes and hair….image of the queen….she _is_ the first one to ever claim the title….might as well show her to…Majesties…they'll….if she's really their daughter._

Finally, they stopped their consultation and the Captain turned to me. "So….you're the lost princess?" he said, and I would swear it almost sounded like a squeak.

_One potential disaster averted. He seems like he believes me._ "Yes," I affirmed.

He straightened his shoulders in a dignified manner. "Well, then let's show you to the King and Queen." He started to walk into the castle, but I didn't follow him. He hadn't freed Eugene yet, who now was _definitely_ throwing panicked looks in my direction.

I inhaled deeply, knowing what I had to do. "Wait."

He turned back toward me, tapping his boot against the ground. "What?" he said impatiently. "Aren't you going to see them?"

I looked him firmly in the eye. "Yes," I said. "But only if you let _him _(I pointed at Eugene) come with me."

A confused glint appeared in his eyes, but he blinked it away. "But…he's a thief. He belongs in the dungeon," he sternly informed me.

Eugene flinched as if the Captain had slapped him. I sighed again, unsure as to what I should do. I didn't want to demand imperiously that he let Eugene come with me, but what else could I do? I was the lost princess, but that didn't mean that…..Another idea instantly flashed into my head. _Hmmm. _ "You would put the man who found your lost princess in the dungeon?" I asked innocently. "Why would you do that?"

The Captain looked bewildered now. "The man who…_what_?"

I grinned more broadly, and winked at Eugene. "The man who found and brought me back to my parents. I would think he would deserve some…kind of award. Or something. Not prison." Eugene winked back at me encouragingly.

The Captain still remained unconvinced. "But, uh…Rapunzel"

I interrupted him. "Your _Highness_," I insisted imperially. I glanced at Eugene. He seemed on the verge of complete laughter. I winked again. _Don't worry_, my eyes said. _I'll never pull this act on you._ _You better not_, he told me with his own eyes.

The Captain blinked. "But..uh…Your Highness, he's supposed to be executed. I'm just following orders."

I scoffed. "Well," I said snobbishly. "I'm giving you new ones. You are to release him." Eugene was almost doubled over now, trying to fight back his laughter. The guards who held him seemed at a lost as to what to do with him.

"But Your Highness," The Captain protested. "I can't do that."

I shoved my finger furiously in his face. "You dare to defy your princess! I _said,_ release him," I demanded angrily. Once I said that, Eugene began to laugh boisterously at my acting.

The Captain's eyes darted from me to Eugene. Then he sighed, defeated. "Fine," he said weakly. "Release him." The guards immediately unchained Eugene's hands, and he walked over to me with a grin. _That..was_ brilliant, his eyes said.

I let out a satisfied sniff because I still needed to keep up my act. "That's better," I said primly. "Now please take us to my parents, the King and Queen."

XXXXXXXXXXXX

And so he did. He led us to a balcony in the castle that overlooked Caermor, and informed us that Their Majesties would be with me shortly. Once he was gone, Eugene began to roar with laughter.

"I (laugh) had (chuckle) no (snort) idea you…could act like that!" he sputtered. "That was amazing!"

I smiled back, but I couldn't laugh. Oh yes, I agreed that my behavior was…amusing, but nerves began to flutter in my stomach like butterflies. Anytime now I would meet my…parents. And who knew what was going to happen then! So I couldn't make myself chuckle. "Yes, I guess so," I said softly as I turned to the balcony and leaned my arms across it. I looked down at the city, deciding that it was quite beautiful.

Instantly, Eugene stopped laughing and walked over to me. He touched my shoulder gently. "Hey…what's the matter?" he asked.

I continued to stare at the city, not meeting his eyes. "I'm nervous," I whispered.

I felt his fingers brush my own. "Don't be," he said comfortingly. "They'll love you. Just like I do."

At his words, my lips turned up in a smile. Although his words were quite cliché, they did make me feel better. Suddenly, I heard a door open behind us and my stomach turned into knots. Eugene gave me one final reassuringly glance, and then we both turned to face the door. I took a deep breath, praying that they would like me. Soon, I saw a man and a woman walk toward me-the man dressed in his imperial robes, with a dark beard covering the lower half of his face, and the woman wore a long purple dress. Hesitantly, I walked toward them, hoping that my nerves didn't show. The woman gradually came toward me, and as she did, I felt my nerves vanish. Because she looked just like me-the same brown hair, the same eyes. My mother! _This _was my real mother, not that horrid woman who trapped me in a tower. And this mother actually loved me, I could tell by the look in her eyes. She gently reached a hand to my face, as if to see if it was really me, really the daughter she had lost all those years ago. Her eyes brightened, and tears pricked my own. I had finally found my real mother! And such a beautiful and loving mother she was! She threw her arms around me and I hugged her back, so completely overcome with joy. I raised my eyes from her shoulder, to see the man standing right by us. My father! His eyes shone with quiet kindness, and I could see the happiness in his eyes. He wrapped his arms around my….mother and I and we knelt to the ground. I revealed in their loving embrace, wishing that we hadn't ever been separated.

I must confess that I…briefly forgot about Eugene for a moment, but suddenly I felt his arms around me too, along with my real mother and father. I remember feeling that I had never been happier or more secure in my entire life. My life in the tower with that dreadful woman seemed only a faint memory now, and a happy life with Eugene and my parents stretched out in front of me. And in that instant, surrounded by the people I loved, I knew that I was indeed a princess after all. Because I was going to receive the ending that they always did:

I was going to live happily ever after.

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Footnote: I gave Corona's capital a name because it seriously needed one. And I figured I should explain it. So, I said before that Corona, in my story, was kind of like Wales. And the capital of Wales is Cardiff, or in the Welsh, Caerydd. I took the first part, Caer-which means castle, fortress, or fortified city and added mor to the end, which means sea. Put together and you have Caermor-or Castle by the Sea. Or something like that. I don't actually speak Welsh. But i did do a little research on it and I found that Corona is the Latin for Crown and Corona has to do with the atmosphere of the sun. And the symbol of Corona in the movie seems to be a sun. Isn't that cool?


	22. Epilogue

A/N: last part! I hope you enjoy it. Nexus, you asked me who Rapunzel was telling the story to, and you know, I had no idea until today. And then I made the last part up because your question was a good one. Haha. But i hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tangled.

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_**Epilogue**_

"A hard beginning maketh a good ending."

-John Haywood

Since you have been so kind as to listen to this (very!) long story of mine, I have a surprise for you. It isn't a continuation of my life's story, although I would dearly love to tell it to you sometime. No, for this epilogue-or tying up all the loose ends-I have asked Eugene to help me finish my tale and he has agreed. Actually, I don't think agree is the right word. Don't tell him I told you this, but once he heard that I was telling my story to you, he practically begged me to let him tell part of it. How else will they get the right impression of me, he asked. I tried to convince him that I would portray him correctly, but he didn't quite believe me. Why he thinks that is beyond me, since you and I both know that I have extolled his virtues to the point of completely alienating you. I can easily recall your face when I went on and on about his amazing qualities.

Anyway, before I let him introduce himself, I do have a question for you. Do you remember the theme of my story, of seeing beyond appearances? I must admit that, at points, I forgot to fully discuss that in my earnestness. But I hope that you found glimpses of it throughout the story- like the fact that my dear Eugene, who, at first, seemed like a ruthless and callous thief named Flynn Rider was really a gentle and sweet orphan named Eugene Fitzherbert instead. Or the fact that Eugene thought that Maximus was a bad horse because he chased him around, but Maximus ended up saving his life. Or the Vikings who were scary at first, but underneath were sweet dreamers who also ended up saving Eugene. Or Gothel, who I thought was my mother for eighteen years, but was the one who stole me away from my birth parents. And let's not forget me. I thought I was just a normal girl, but I ended up being Princess of Corona! Now who would have guessed that? Not me, that's for sure. It just goes to show you that you can never ever know what is in a person's heart from simply looking at their outward appearance. And so it is wise to learn more about a person before you judge them one way or another.

Now that I have said my final piece, I introduce my beloved Eugene to you, and he will finish the story for me (though I am staying here in case _he_ tells something wrong):

**Well, hello there! Rapunzel tells me that you have been listening to her story for quite some time now, and that you are very intelligent. I have my own doubts about that- **(Eugene! Don't alienate your listener!) **(ahem) but I am pleased to tell the rest of the story. Because when do I ever pass up the opportunity to talk about myself? And who wouldn't want to hear about me and my life? I mean, is there anybody in Corona who is as smart, wily, intelligent, not to mention completely crafty- **(Eu-gene!)**- (ahem) as me? No one, that's who! Not only did I, in this story, manage to steal a crown, but I also cheated death three times, outwitted multiple people, not to mention captured the heart of the most wonderful girl in all of Corona. Who also happened to be a princess. Am I good or what? There should be some kind of statue of me in Caermor because- **(Eu-gene! Can you please just tell them what happened after I reunited with my parents?) ** Oh, right. I'll have to tell you of all my excellent deeds some other time. Because, believe me, they are worth hearing. **

** Well, I'm sure you can imagine what happened next. The kingdom rejoiced for their lost princess had returned. The part lasted an entire week, and, honestly, I don't remember most of it. **(That's because you were so completely in love with me!)** I'm sure you expect me to deny that….but actually she's right. I was so in love with her, that all I remember is being happy that we were finally together with no one chasing us. Even though, I have to say that being chased is a lot of fun. Why? Well, it gives me an opportunity to show how brilliant I am, of course! Anyway, thanks to Maximus (who I grudgingly admitted was a good horse), crime in the kingdom disappeared almost overnight…as did most of the apples. And Pascal, Rapunzel's fro-**(Chameleon!) **right, **_**chameleon **_**never changed. He continued to love nothing better than sticking his slimy tongue in my ear. And Rapunzel? Well, she had, at last, come home. And she finally had a real family. She was a princess worth waiting for. **(Aw, Eugene, you're too kind) **Oh, you know it's true. Beloved by all, she led Corona with the same grace and wisdom that her parents did before her. You ask about what happened to me? Well, I started going by…**_**Eugene**_** again, stopped thieving **(except my tiara- you loved nothing better than to sneak it off my head when I wasn't looking). **But we had a deal about that-I steal the tiara, you give me a kiss to get it back. And you can't say that you minded it. **(Unfortunately, he _is_ right about that).** Ahem, and as I was saying, I basically turned it all around. But I know what the big question is, 'Did Rapunzel and I ever get married?' Well, I'm pleased to tell you that after years and years of asking and asking and **_**asking…...**_**I finally said yes. **(Eu-gene!) **Yes, **_**dear**_**? **(You know that's_ not _how it went) **All right, all right….I asked her **(Of course you did-I was the princess and women didn't ask men to marry them back then ...but anyway, we're living happily ever after.) **Yes, yes we are. **

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

_With those words, the elderly woman and man fell silent, looking lovingly into each others eyes. And they almost forgot about the two brothers who had been listening to them speak. _

_ "That's quite a story," one of them said. _

_ The woman smiled. "Well, it's all true, Mr. __Schreiber. Everything from the magic hair to the tears that healed my beloved Eugene." _

_ The old man spoke once more. "I can testify to that." _

_ "But it's not possible!" the other brother said. _

_ The woman gave him a serious look. "Is it? From what I can tell, you and your brother make your living off of writing tales such as these."_

_ "Yes…but healing tears? Who would believe that?" _

_ The woman smiled even more broadly. "Everyone wants to believe in magic and fairy tales, Mr. Schreiber. You should know that by all the people who read your stories."_

_ The brothers exchanged glances. "Yes, but…"_

_ "But?" she pressed. _

_ "But we already wrote a story about a girl like you, and we told it….quite differently." _

_ The woman glanced at her husband, who looked at her encouragingly. "Exactly. And that's why I invited you here, to hear the story of what really happened. So you can tell the world the truth about me. Do you think you could do that for me?" _

_ The two men looked at each other again, consulting. "I suppose," one of them said at last. _

_ She rose from her seat, and shook hands with the two men. "Thank you very much," she said. "And thank you for your time." At that, the two men said their goodbyes and left the room. And the woman returned to the seat next to her beloved with a sigh. _

_ "Do you think they'll actually do it?" she asked. _

_ He considered the question for a moment, and then took her hand. "They might. But even if they don't, we know the truth. So do our children and grandchildren. And that's what is really important in the end, don't you think?" _

_ She felt a smile creep across her face. "Yes," she said. Because she knew a fact that some never learn their entire life: _

_ Truth is always what matters, and not ever what people think. _

_ And she would always keep truth close to her heart. _

_

* * *

_

Footnote: The Schreiber brothers, as you might have figured out, are basically like the Brothers Grimm, who did in fact have a story about Rapunzel in their collection of fairy tales. I didn't want to use their exact name, of course, so I changed their name. They were both German, so I looked for German last names, and decided to re-name them Schreiber, which means scribe or writer. Perfect, right?

_Acknowledgements:_

Although it feels...odd to make one of these for an fan fiction story, I do make some shout-outs to all those who helped me with this story:

-Thank you to anyone who has read and enjoyed this story. I appreciate you reading my writing!

-Thank you to those who ever reviewed my story:

Mrs. Naara

Malicious Marshmellow

AIOFanNCRM

FishyIcon

Kutlessgurl 90

ClassicdisneyFTW

Loverly2467

I really appreciate the time you took to R/R.

-A big thank you to my very loyal readers/reviewers:

LilRockerStar

My Friend Mr Floor

Queen of the Elementals 09

Rebel-Angel-Hero

Without your encouragement, I doubt I would have finished this story. Thank you for all your very kind comments. I can't tell you how much some of what you said meant to me.

-And a very special shout-out to my very first reviewer, Nexus! THANK YOU!

-I also want to send out a special shout-out

-to those authors whose style influenced how I wrote this story

Meg Cabot

Cameron Dokey

Shannon Hale

Patrice Kindl

Ann Rinaldi

- and to those movies who inspired parts/dialogue/thoughts in this story

Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story

Ever After

Joe Versus the Volcano

Mulan

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

And, of course, Tangled itself

I've enjoyed almost every minute that I spent writing this story, and I'm truly sad that's over. :( I'm hoping that I somehow have a lighter load this semester because I'm going to miss Eugene and Rapunzel so much and I want to keep writing about them.

It's truly been an awesome (almost) month writing this story, and I learned so much-both about writing, Eugene, Rapunzel and even myself!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU


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